A report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development gives high marks to the Cranston Housing Authority’s financial condition and its management of subsidized public housing in the city.

The report, called a Public Housing Assessment System, rated the Housing Authority a 92 out of 100 possible points after a thorough review that included inspection of buildings and examination of finances and policies.

HUD typically issues assessments of all housing authorities in the state every year or so. The rating of 92, puts the Cranston Housing Authority in the category of a high performing public housing authority, according to the HUD ranking system.

Robert Coupe, executive director of the Housing Authority, said he is pleased with the report, particularly because the organization has a relatively small staff that works hard to ensure residents have safe, clean and secure housing.

“This is a big deal for us,” Coupe said in an interview last week. “Our score in the last report was 89, which was good and put us in the ‘standard’ category, but this score moves us up to high-performing.”

“We have a great staff, and this tells the public that we have a well-run housing authority,” he said, adding that one of the challenges is balancing fiscal prudence with the costs of maintaining structures. The authority is also responsible for fairly administering its federally funded programs. “To me, this report says that we are finding the right balance,” Coupe said.

The Housing Authority oversees six public housing buildings that provide nearly 600 subsidized rental units to elderly, low-income, disabled and other qualifying people. The agency is also responsible for the disbursement of about 260 federal (Section 8) vouchers that help pay rents for qualifying tenants who find housing options in privately owned properties.

As a quasi-public agency, the authority is governed by a board of directors appointed by the mayor. Its financial management is strictly of federal funds.

Its multi-unit complexes include Arlington Manor, Budlong Manor, Hall Manor, Jennings Manor, Knightsville Manor and Randall Manor.