Provide evidence to support that the Authority corrected the 11 unit deficiencies for the 5 units and 7 building deficiencies for 4 buildings with outstanding deficiencies.
2025-CH-1001 | February 25, 2025
The Boston Housing Authority Did Not Always Comply With HUD’s and Its Own Requirements for Its Public Housing Program Units
Public and Indian Housing
- Status2025-CH-1001-001-AOpenClosed
- Status2025-CH-1001-001-BOpenClosed
Determine the frequency of its quality control reviews of its inspections and work orders and update its quality control policy, training materials, and other resources as appropriate to ensure that its quality control process is consistently implemented.
- Status2025-CH-1001-001-COpenClosed
Support that it has implemented its quality control policy for (1) monitoring the effectiveness of its unit and building inspections to ensure compliance with HUD’s and its own requirements and (2) reviewing work orders to ensure that cited deficiencies are corrected in accordance with HUD’s and its own requirements.
- Status2025-CH-1001-002-AOpenClosed
Provide evidence to support that the Authority corrected the four non-life-threatening deficiencies for the three units with outstanding deficiencies.
- Status2025-CH-1001-002-BOpenClosed
Implement adequate procedures and controls to ensure that the deficiencies identified during annual self-inspections are properly categorized and corrected in a timely manner.
- Status2025-CH-1001-002-COpenClosed
Develop and implement a plan to manage and reduce its backlog of work orders. This plan should include but not be limited to (1) assessing and addressing staffing needs; (2) creating a timeline for completion of the work orders to ensure that its properties are maintained in decent, safe, and sanitary condition and in good repair; and (3) providing documentation showing that it is on track to meet the completion timeframe.
- Status2025-CH-1001-002-DOpenClosed
Implement adequate procedures and controls to ensure that inspection reports are uploaded to the Authority’s electronic filing system and work orders are created in a timely manner. This process should include but not be limited to providing training to its staff on the Authority’s systems, establishing timeframes for the creation of work orders, and monitoring the work order process.
- Status2025-CH-1001-003-AOpenClosed
Provide evidence to support that the Authority corrected the 3 non-life-threatening health and safety, and 19 non-health and safety deficiencies.
- Status2025-CH-1001-003-BOpenClosed
Develop and implement adequate procedures and controls to ensure that (1) the deficiencies identified during REAC inspections are corrected in a timely manner and (2) documentation is maintained to support that repairs were made.
- Status2025-CH-1001-003-COpenClosed
Implement adequate controls to ensure that the Authority’s information system properly tracks the completion of work orders.
- Status2025-CH-1001-003-DOpenClosed
Implement adequate controls to ensure that the correction of life-threatening deficiencies is reported to HUD accurately and in a timely manner.
2025-CH-0801 | October 23, 2024
Timing of PHAs’ Lead-Based Paint Visual Assessments
Public and Indian Housing
- Status2025-CH-0801-001-AOpenClosed
Issue guidance to PHAs clarifying the timing of unit inspections and lead-based paint visual assessments to address the misinterpretation caused by the terms “annual” and “every 12 months.”
2024-CH-1004 | August 23, 2024
The Boston Housing Authority Did Not Always Comply With HUD’s Requirements for Its Housing Choice Voucher Program Units
Public and Indian Housing
- Status2024-CH-1004-001-AOpenClosed
Provide evidence to support that the owners corrected the 46 deficiencies for the 20 units with outstanding deficiencies. If the owners fail to provide evidence that they made the required corrections, HUD should require the Authority to implement its HAP enforcement procedures and provide supporting documentation to HUD evidencing that it did so.
- Status2024-CH-1004-001-BOpenClosed$34,487,989Funds Put to Better Use
Recommendations that funds be put to better use estimate funds that could be used more efficiently. For example, recommendations that funds be put to better use could result in reductions in spending, deobligation of funds, or avoidance of unnecessary spending.
Improve its quality control process for monitoring its inspectors to enhance the effectiveness of its unit inspections and ensure that all units meet HUD’s and its own requirements to prevent more than $34 million in Program funds from being spent on units that do not meet HQS over the next year. This process should include but not be limited to procedures (1) requiring its staff to use the quality control inspection results to evaluate and monitor the performance of the Authority’s inspectors, along with maintaining adequate supporting documentation on feedback provided to the inspectors for recurring inspection deficiencies and (2) for evaluating the training provided to its inspectors to determine what improvements are needed to ensure that unit deficiencies are detected.
- Status2024-CH-1004-002-AOpenClosed$106,477Questioned Costs
Recommendations with questioned costs identify costs: (A) resulting from an alleged violation of a law, regulation, contract, grant, or other document or agreement governing the use of Federal funds; (B) that are not supported by adequate documentation (also known as an unsupported cost); or (C) that appear unnecessary or unreasonable.
Pursue collection from the applicable owners or reimburse its HCV Program from non-Federal funds $106,477 ($180,309 - $73,832) in inappropriate HAP
- Status2024-CH-1004-002-BOpenClosed
Provide evidence to HUD that it has improved its controls and procedures for its stop payment process to ensure that (1) payments to owners comply with its HCV Program administrative plan and HUD requirements and (2) it maintains documentation to support stop payments and resumption of those payments for each unit as applicable.
- Status2024-CH-1004-002-COpenClosed
Provide documentation to support that HAP was appropriately paid to the owners for the 66 units that had more than one stop payment. If additional HAP was inappropriately paid, the Authority should pursue collection from the applicable owners or reimburse its HCV Program from non-Federal funds.
- Status2024-CH-1004-003-AOpenClosed
Review its records to confirm whether it had cases of children with EBLLs during our audit period and work with the owner(s) of the HCV Program units to provide required documentation to HUD.
- Status2024-CH-1004-003-BOpenClosed
Update publications and educational materials to owners to ensure that they understand their reporting responsibilities to HUD regarding confirmed cases of children with EBLLs.
- Status2024-CH-1004-003-COpenClosed
Develop and implement procedures and controls for coordinating with public health departments and managing cases of children with EBLLs, including monitoring owners for compliance with the requirements of the LSHR.