We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Native American Programs’ sale of defaulted loan notes and real estate-owned (REO) properties on tribal trust and other restricted lands. We performed this audit as a result of congressional interest in the Section 184 program and work performed during prior HUD, Office of Inspector General, audits. The objective of our audit was to determine whether HUD…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of its public housing agencies’ (PHA) reasonable accommodation policies and procedures.  We initiated this audit because we identified an increase in housing discrimination complaints based on a failure to provide a reasonable accommodation, even as the total number of all housing discrimination complaints was decreasing.  Our audit objective…

We conducted this evaluation due to the growing homeless crisis and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) establishing a goal of ending homelessness.  Our objective was to evaluate the challenges that participating public housing agencies (PHA) face in meeting the goals and objectives of the HUD Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program. The results from our limited review may help HUD in…

We conducted this limited review to determine the use of landlord incentives to increase landlord participation and retention and expand housing options for program participants outside areas of low-income or minority concentration. The majority (28 of 34) of responsive MTW PHAs used the program and funding flexibilities of the MTW program to offer landlord incentives.  These PHAs offered many types of landlord incentives as a…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of lead in the water of Housing Choice Voucher Program and public housing program (assisted) units based on our goal of strengthening the soundness of public and Indian housing.  The audit was part of the activities in our fiscal year 2019 audit plan.  Our objective was to determine whether HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing had…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) controls over employee benefits expensed at public housing agencies (PHA) due to a previous external review of the Waterbury, CT, Housing Authority, which determined that employee benefits expensed were unsustainable.  Our audit objective was to determine whether HUD ensured that employee benefits expensed at PHAs were reasonable. Analysis of PHA data showed…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of public housing agencies’ compliance with the Lead Safe Housing Rule.  The audit is part of the activities in our fiscal year 2019 audit plan.  The audit objective was to determine whether HUD had adequate oversight of public housing agencies’ compliance with the Lead Safe Housing Rule.HUD did not have adequate oversight of public housing…

The Office of Inspector General is initiating an evaluation of the Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) and the Office of Multifamily Housing Program (Multifamily)’s policies for radon. We will determine the extent to which PIH and Multifamily’s radon policies protect residents from the hazardous health effects of exposure to indoor radon. I have included our evaluation design, which gives more information about our planned work.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited HUD to ensure that public housing agencies (PHA) have access to information in the Federal Do Not Pay system. We performed this audit because the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 requires HUD to ensure that PHAs have access to information contained in the Bureau of Fiscal Services’ Do Not Pay system established by the…

On July 24, 2018, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), issued a report on HUD’s oversight of the Alexander County Housing Authority (ACHA) in Cairo, IL.  The report concluded that HUD could and should have done more to oversee the decade-long deteriorating conditions at ACHA.  Due to the time between the events under review and our fieldwork, some HUD officials could…

We reviewed the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) approval of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Housing Authority’s Moving to Work (MTW) Demonstration plan and capital funds drawdowns.  The review was performed based on risk indicators identified during audits of the Authority’s Rental Assistance Demonstration Program (RAD) conversion and its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.  The objective…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of its Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program.  We conducted the audit as part of our annual audit plan.  Our objective was to determine whether HUD provided adequate oversight of its program. HUD did not provide adequate oversight of its FSS program.  Specifically, HUD did not ensure that grantees (1) always had action plans that complied…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Real Estate Assessment Center’s (REAC) inspections process.  We initiated this audit in accordance with our annual audit plan.  Our objective was to determine whether REAC had adequate processes for and controls over the certification and monitoring of contracted inspectors and its public housing units’ physical inspections processes. We found that REAC…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee program based on a Senate Appropriations Committee request to review the management and oversight of the program.  OIG had previously audited the Section 184 program in 2015 (audit report 2015-LA-0002) and determined that the Office of Loan Guarantee (OLG) did not provide adequate oversight of the program.  The…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Native American Programs’ Indian Housing Block Grant program.  We selected the program based on concerns as to whether grantees invested, obligated, and spent program funds within the required period.  Our audit objective was to determine whether HUD’s Office of Native American Programs ensured that grantees invested, obligated, and spent…

This report reviewed the Office of Native American Programs – Office of Loan Guarantee’s (OLG) Section 184 program to determine whether its IT systems enabled effective management and oversight of the program. We found HUD had not successfully deployed an information technology (IT) system that enabled effective management and appropriate oversight of all Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program (Section 184 program) processes. …

HUD had been aware of negative conditions at Alexander County Housing Authority (ACHA) since at least 2010.  HUD identified issues with ACHA’s governance, including the misuse of funds, conflicts of interest, and a failure to comply with HUD policies and Federal civil rights laws.  Further, about 200 children and their families lived in units with peeling paint; graffiti; pest infestations; and other health and safety…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of lead-based paint reporting and remediation in its public housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs.  The audit was part of the activities in our fiscal year 2017 annual audit plan.  The audit objective was to determine whether HUD had adequate oversight of lead‐based paint reporting and remediation in its public housing and Housing Choice…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Native American Programs’ Indian Housing Block Grant program.  We selected the program based on the results of a previous audit (audit report 2017-LA-1007) and concerns about the accuracy and completeness of tribal enrollment numbers that HUD used to allocate program funds to eligible Native American grantees.  Our audit objective was to…

While working with the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Program Enforcement, we noted that the Office of Public Housing did not clearly identify the certifications that public housing agencies were making in the Application for Federal Assistance, SF (standard form)-424.  As a result, we reviewed the guidance concerning the Application, with an objective to determine whether the Office of Public…