What happened?

Donald J. Trump announced the appointment of Ben Carson to oversee the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Here is a rundown of Carson and what this means for the country:

It was a former Republican presidential candidate that Trump tapped to run HUD in Carson, but what does this mean for America?

Carson has no experience in government or business and specifically no experience in housing policy. This may leave many Americans scratching their heads, but Carson does have some distinct advantages when it comes to poverty and urban neighborhoods.

According to an autobiography about Carson, he spent part of his childhood growing up in public housing in Detroit, one of the most dangerous cities in America. Carson credited “individual effort” more than “government programs” for his success in his autobiography.

Carson is a retired neurosurgeon who will trade in his scalpel for a government agency with a $47 million budget.

HUD is responsible for programs that provide rental assistance to more than five million low-income families, fight urban poverty and help homeowners facing property foreclosures.

In an interview with Fox News last month, Carson credited his inner-city upbringing and his professional experience as a physician in Baltimore as two reasons he would make a successful secretary of HUD.

According to Carson’s autobiography, he was born into poverty but was eventually awarded a scholarship to Yale University. After Carson finished school, he was named the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, the youngest person ever to have that role at the age of 33.

Carson dropped out of the Republican presidential nomination race in March. He and Trump have since reconciled after Trump attacked Carson’s book publically during the primary election, criticizing a section where Carson wrote about trying to stab a friend at age 14.

Carson will need a serious crash course in housing policy before he takes over the position next year.