We audited the City of Hattiesburg’s HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) program based on a referral from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Community Planning and Development’s field office in Jackson, MS, to address a request by the City’s mayor for a comprehensive review of the City’s HOME program.  In addition, we selected the City for review in accordance with our annual audit plan.  The...

We audited Saltillo Assisted Living (project), an assisted living facility located in Saltillo, MS, based on a referral from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Departmental Enforcement Center and activities included in our 2015 annual audit plan.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the members and operator of Saltillo Assisted Living complied with the executed regulatory agreement and HUD’s requirements...

We are conducting an audit survey of Saltillo Assisted Living (project) based on a referral from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Departmental Enforcement Center and the activities included in our 2015 annual audit plan.  Our survey objective is to determine whether the owners and management agents of Saltillo Assisted Living complied with the executed regulatory agreement and HUD’s requirements.  Our...

We audited the State of Mississippi’s Community Development Block Grant Hurricane Disaster Recovery Program.  The Gulf Coast Regional Infrastructure Program was selected for audit based upon a congressional request, and it was also included in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General’s (HUD OIG) annual audit plan.  Our main objectives were to determine whether the State ensured that (1)...

We audited the City of Cedar Rapids, IA Property Acquisition Program. We selected the City for review based on a citizen’s hotline complaint and the amount of disaster funding received by the City. During fiscal years 2008 through 2011, the City’s property acquisition program was awarded more than $125 million in disaster funding. Our audit objective was to determine whether the City (1) expended its CDBG disaster recovery grant funds for...

We audited the Maine State Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher program pertaining to its housing quality standard inspections, and other expenditures and procurements using U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds.  Our review was initiated based on a congressional request from Senator Susan Collins.  The objectives of the audit were to determine whether (1) the Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher program...

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General initiated an audit of the Tennessee Valley Regional Housing Authority’s (Authority) Public Housing Capital Fund Stimulus Formula Recovery Act Funded grant program as part of our annual audit plan to review American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funds. Our objective was to determine whether the Authority properly obligated and expended its Recovery Act...

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General initiated an audit of the Mississippi Regional Housing Authority VIII’s (Authority) Public Housing Capital Fund formula grant program as part of our annual audit plan to review American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funds. Our objective was to determine whether the Authority properly obligated and expended its Recovery Act capital funds in accordance...

We conducted a review of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Supplemental Disaster Recovery program funds, administered by the State of Mississippi (State), a $5.5 billion CDBG Supplemental Disaster Recovery program grantee. Our objective was to determine whether the State ensured that disbursements made under the Homeowner Assistance Elevation Grant Program (Program) were eligible...

We audited the Avesta Housing Management Corporation (Avesta), located in Portland, ME, in response to a request from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Manchester, NH, Office of Housing field office. The request came after the completion of an Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit of the Orchard Court project. Avesta was the previous manager of Orchard Court and is the current manager of 30 other HUD projects....

We conducted a review of the State of Mississippi (State), a $5.5 billion Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster recovery grantee. We initiated the audit as part of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Gulf Coast Region’s audit plan and examination of relief efforts provided by the Federal Government in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Our objective was to determine whether the State ensured that contracts were...

We conducted a review of the State of Mississippi (State), a $5.5 billion Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster recovery grantee. We initiated the review as part of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Gulf Coast Region’s audit plan and examination of relief efforts provided by the federal government in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Our objectives were to determine whether the State ensured that (1) public housing...

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited the State of Iowa’s (State) business rental assistance program (program) funded by Community Development Block Grant disaster funds. Our objective was to determine whether the State ensured that the City of Cedar Rapids (City) provided rental assistance to eligible businesses based on appropriate leases. The State did not implement adequate controls...

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited the State of Iowa’s (State) Community Development Block Grant Disaster Assistance Funds. Our audit objective was to determine whether the State ensured that the City of Cedar Rapids provided disaster assistance funds to only eligible businesses and that these businesses did not receive duplicate Federal benefits. The State misspent more than $10.5...

In accordance with our goal to review and ensure the proper administration of Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds provided under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) and/or the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), we conducted a capacity review of the operations of the State of Maine’s (State) Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of Community Development (Department). The...

We audited the State of Mississippi's (State) administration of the $5.058 billion in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster recovery funds provided to the State in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The State allocated $2.2 billion to help homeowners in southern Mississippi recover from Hurricane Katrina. Our audit objective was to determine whether the State ensured that applicants were eligible to receive disbursements under...

We audited the State of Mississippi's (State) administration of the $5.058 billion in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster recovery funds provided to the State in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The State allocated $2.2 billion to help homeowners in southern Mississippi recover from Hurricane Katrina. During our audit on grant eligibility, we identified a few possible duplicate payments when reviewing the State's...

We performed an audit of the Orchard Court project, a Section 236 multifamily property, located in Bath, Maine. As part of our audit, we reviewed subsidy payments made to Orchard Court from Bath and Brunswick, Maine, Housing Authorities (Authorities). Our objective was to determine whether Section 8 voucher program subsidies paid to Orchard Court from the Authorities were for basic rent, rather than market rent. Basic rent is the minimum rent a...

We audited the Orchard Court project, located in Bath, Maine, in response to a referral received by the Office of Inspector General's (OIG) Office of Investigation (Region 1). The referral indicated a potential inappropriate use of project funds by the Orchard Court Housing Corporation (project owner) and/or the management agent. Our overall objective was to determine whether the project owner and/or management agents operated the project...

We audited the State of Mississippi's Development Authority's (Authority) Homeowners Assistance Program (Program), implemented by Reznick Group and Reznick Mississippi, LLC (contractor). We initiated the audit in conjunction with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Gulf Coast Region's audit plan and examination of relief efforts provided by the federal government in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Our audit...