We reviewed the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of the Chicago Housing Authority’s Moving to Work program based on a congressional request from former Congressman Aaron Schock and media attention regarding the Authority’s exception payment standards.  Our objective was to determine whether HUD provided adequate oversight of the Authority’s Moving to Work exception payment standards.

HUD’s Office of Public Housing Investments could improve its oversight of the Authority’s Moving to Work exception payment standards to ensure that expenditures for related activities in the Authority’s annual Moving to Work plans and reports are reasonable and cost effective.

We recommend that the Deputy Assistant Secretary of HUD’s Office of Public Housing Investments implement adequate policies and procedures to ensure that the activities included in Authority’s plans are (1) allowable under the Moving to Work statutory purposes, (2) described in sufficient detail to convey anticipated impacts (including financial impact), and (3) in accordance with the terms and authorizations set forth in the Moving to Work agreements.  This recommendation should apply to all public housing agencies under Moving to Work agreements to ensure consistency within the program.