Training manuals and videos, guides, and tools, and other resources related to the eCon Planning Suite, Consolidated Plan data sources, and archived resources are provided to support planning, management and implementation of HUD grant programs.
The Consolidated Plan template in IDIS facilitates the planning process by making critical data on housing and community development needs readily accessible to grantees in the format required by HUD. By providing detailed and timely demographic, housing affordability, and economic data, the template frees up time formerly spent searching out and compiling data to allow grantees to focus on understanding the data, further boosting the process beyond simple compliance with reporting and budgeting requirements. Moreover, by providing a standard format for all the required Consolidated Plan elements, HUD is providing clear guidance on when requirements will be met.
eCon Planning Suite Desk Guide
This Desk Guide supports grantees in using the eCon Planning Suite to set-up and complete their Consolidated Plan, Annual Action Plan, and CAPER/PER.
Date Published: July 2021
Consolidated Plan Quick Guides
These quick guides provide step-by-step instructions on how to undertake a specific task within the eCon Plan Suite.
Date Published: April 2020
Troubleshooting Guide: Consolidated Plan Template in IDIS
This table presents troubleshooting tips to address common issues or errors grantees face when using the Consolidated Plan Template in IDIS.
Date Published: April 2018
eCon Planning Suite Citizen Participation and Consultation Toolkit
This toolkit provides strategies for grantees that would like to review and assess existing citizen participation and consultation practices and also provides tools to plan future outreach activities.
Date Published: April 2014
Housing Trust Fund eCon Planning Suite FAQs
This document contains frequently asked questions regarding HTF and the eCon Planning Suite.
Date Published: July 2016
eCon Planning Suite FAQs - General
This document contains frequently asked questions regarding the eCon Planning Suite.
Date Published: January 2015
eCon Planning Suite Overview Webinars
These webinars provide an overview of the eCon Planning Suite.
eCon Planning Suite e-Tutorials
These e-tutorials demonstrate the functionality and components of the eCon Planning Suite.
Coordinating Local Planning Efforts: The Con Plan and CEDS
HUD has partnered with the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) to encourage each agency's grantees to conduct strategic planning. Both agencies have developed joint guidance to better coordinate local planning efforts and to help streamline the planning process with the goal that one agency’s documents can be adapted for submission to the other agency.
Date Published: December 2017
Maximizing Investments Toolkit
The Maximizing Investments Toolkit includes tools and guidance to help grantees identify local housing and community development needs and determine how to use available resources most effectively to address those needs. The tools are intended to help grantees navigate the process of setting goals for their investments and identify ways to maximize the positive impacts of these investments. In essence, the Toolkit helps answer this question: With high demand and limited funds, how can grantees make a real difference? Making well-informed and strategic choices is the first step.
Date Published: May 2016
eCon Planning Suite Citizen Participation and Consultation Toolkit
This toolkit provides strategies for grantees that would like to review and assess existing citizen participation and consultation practices and also provides tools to plan future outreach activities.
Date Published: April 2014
CPD Maps is an online data mapping tool for place-based planning. Grantees and the public can use CPD Maps to analyze and compare housing and economic conditions across their jurisdictions. The CPD Maps tool is publicly available, giving all community stakeholders access to the same data. The Consolidated Plan template allows grantees to insert maps and data tables from CPD Maps with ease, throughout their plan.
This desk huide includes step-by-step instructions describing how to use CPD Maps to display data and create maps that will aid the development of the grantee's Consolidated Plan.
Date Published: February 2016
Guide to the Data-Driven Planning Toolkit in CPD Maps
This guide explains how to set up and use the Data-Driven Planning Toolkit effectively to interpret a broad range of data and apply it to the Consolidated Plan process.
Date Published: April 2014
This glossary describes features of, and the data sources included in, CPD Maps.
Date Published: May 2012
Consolidated Planning Data Sources
This web page contains a list of the data sources that may be helpful to grantees during the consolidated planning process.
Date Published: October 2012
HUD has provided HUD-based data available for download and use by practitioners, researchers and the public in a variety of mapping services.
Date Published: December 2012
The Consolidated Plan regulations require grantees to complete and submit the SF-424 (the standard face sheet for federal applications and pre-applications), as well as the appropriate certifications (state or non-state).
Date Published: April 2014
Consolidated Plan Certifications - State and Non-State
Date Published: September 2012
Archived Guidelines for Preparing Consolidated Plan and Performance Report
This archive contains a collection of Consolidated Plan resources provided by HUD prior to the May 2012 release of the eCon Planning Suite.
Date Published: May 2012
Archived Guidance on the CPMP Tool
This archive contains guidance eon the CPMP Tool. HUD allowed grantees with Consolidated Plans submitted before November 15, 2012 to prepare and submit Annual Action Plans in the same format they previously used until their next Consolidated Plan is due.
Date Published: May 2012