The U.S. Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) visited Baltimore Friday, where she met with city officials and stopped by the medical clinic Health Care for the Homeless.

Adrianne Todman, who was sworn in in June, said this was her first in-person tour of a city as HUD’s deputy secretary.

“It's really exciting to be out,” she told WYPR.

Driving through the city, Todman said she could tell “how much more opportunity there is in Baltimore, how much more investment Baltimore really needs.”

During the tour Todman discussed House America, a federal initiative that HUD launched earlier this week to combat homelessness.

The initiative is aimed at leveraging resources through the American Rescue Plan, including 70,000 emergency housing vouchers and $5 billion in HOME Investment Partnership Program grants.

“We have funds that are across the agency that's continuing... to help build affordable housing, helping families who are ready for homeownership,” Todman said.

Kevin Lindamood, President and CEO of Healthcare for the Homeless, gave Todman a tour of the clinic.

Lindamood said he’s been “very impressed” by Todman’s leadership and that of HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge.

“We've never had, in my experience, a secretary of HUD say publicly that the solution to homelessness is housing, that housing is healthcare, that we can actually end homelessness through housing, and housing as a human right,” he said. “It inspires those of us in the field that have been working for a long time with previous leaders that have said there's no relationship between homelessness and housing.”

Todman also joined the mayor and other city officials for ribbon cutting and groundbreaking ceremonies for revitalization projects at Somerset Homes.