We audited the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority’s management of its Commodore Perry Homes development.  We selected the Authority based on congressional interest.  Half of the development’s buildings were demolished more than 20 years ago, and the majority of the remaining buildings and units have been vacant for years without redevelopment activity.  The objective of the audit was to determine whether the Authority…

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 a limited review of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act supplemental public housing operating funds (supplemental funds).  Our objective was to assess public housing agencies’ (PHA) experiences and challenges and HUD’s efforts in providing guidance related to the administration of the supplemental operating funds under the CARES Act.…

Based on a complaint and a request from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (HUD PIH), we audited the Bay City Housing Authority, Bay City, TX.  The complainant’s allegations included improper procurement of an attorney and board meetings held without proper notice.  HUD PIH expressed concerns regarding the Authority’s financial records and policy adherence.  Our…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of voucher utilization and reallocation in the Housing Choice Voucher Program based on the HUD Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) report on HUD’s top management challenges for fiscal year 2020 and HUD’s strategic goals and objectives reported in its 2018-2022 strategic plan.  In addition, while responding to a congressional inquiry from Senator…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Public and Indian Housing’s (PIH) Office of Field Operations’ (OFO) oversight of public housing agencies’ (PHA) compliance with implementing HUD’s smoke-free policy. We initiated the audit in accordance with our strategic plan and our vision to support HUD’s efforts to achieve quality and safer housing. Our objective was to determine whether OFO ensured…

The West Calumet Housing Complex (WCHC), located in East Chicago, IN, was a public housing development that opened in 1972 on top of a former lead smelting plant.  HUD and other agencies missed multiple opportunities to identify site contamination at WCHC.  As a result, WCHC residents continued living in unsafe conditions for decades, and inadequate oversight led to the lead poisoning of children in WCHC.  Between 2005…

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…

As part of the Office of Inspector General’s effort to provide oversight of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) relief efforts provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), we reviewed HUD’s communication to renters regarding the eviction moratorium found in Section 4024.  The objective of our review was to highlight the progress HUD has made and identify areas for…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), audited the Nampa Housing Authority’s public housing program in response to a local OIG, Office of Investigation, referral.  Our objective was to determine whether the Authority followed U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) public housing requirements pertaining to (1) calculating contract rents, (2) maintaining its…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of portability in the Housing Choice Voucher Program based on a congressional inquiry from Senator Grassley’s office.  Our audit objective was to determine whether HUD had adequate oversight of portability in the Housing Choice Voucher Program; specifically, to determine whether (1) HUD had adequate policies and procedures to identify and evaluate…

We audited Mid America Mortgage’s, dba 1st Tribal Lending’s, Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee program based on a previous U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General, audit and corrective action verification of the Section 184 program, which determined that HUD lacked proper oversight of the program and lenders did not always underwrite loans in accordance with HUD’s requirements.  The…

We audited Vineville Christian Towers’ (project) Rental Assistance Demonstration Program (RAD) conversion in accordance with our annual audit plan.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the project’s RAD conversion to the Section 8 Project-Based Voucher Program was completed in accordance with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) requirements; specifically, whether the Macon-Bibb County Housing…

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 Los Angeles County Development Authority’s Family Self-Sufficiency Program due to a hotline complaint (HC-2019-4215) alleging that the Authority did not use its program funds in compliance with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements.  Our audit objectives were to determine whether the Authority met its program goals and objectives to assist eligible families in becoming self-sufficient…

We audited the Philadelphia, PA, Housing Authority’s use of public housing program operating funds because we received a complaint alleging that the Authority misused U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds.  Our objective was to determine whether allegations from the complaint had merit.  We focused the audit on whether the Authority properly procured (1) relocation services, (2) job training services, (…

We audited the Springfield Housing Authority’s Public Housing Operating Fund and Capital Fund programs because the Authority ranked fifth highest on our risk assessment of Massachusetts public housing agencies and is the third largest in the State. In addition, we had not audited the Authority in more than 10 years. The objective of the audit was to determine whether the Authority complied with procurement and contract administration…

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.