We audited the Boston Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program.  We initiated this audit based upon our assessment of risks associated with public housing agencies' HCV Program units, as well as recent media attention and public concern about the conditions of subsidized housing properties.  Our objective was to determine whether the physical conditions of the Authority’s HCV units complied with both the U.S. Department…

We audited the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles’ management of lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards in its public housing units.  We selected the Authority based on our assessment of the risks of lead‐based paint in public housing agencies’ (PHA) housing developments, including the age of buildings, the number of units, household demographics, and reported cases of childhood lead poisoning.  The audit objectives…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Multifamily Housing Programs’ efforts to address multifamily mortgage application processing delays.  When applications for these loans are delayed, it slows the production and availability of affordable multifamily housing units.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, HUD took action to eliminate a backlog of over 500 applications waiting to be assigned to…

We reviewed the Puerto Rico Department of Housing’s (PRDOH) Electrical Power System Enhancements and Improvements programs to provide (1) background and funding information, (2) an update on the status of the programs and their progress, and (3) other relevant program information for interested stakeholders including Congress and the public. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provided its grantee, PRDOH, $1.93…

We audited the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Budget and Fiscal Services’ and Department of Community Services’ (City) fraud risk management practices for its Emergency Solutions Grants Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (ESG CARES Act) program with the objective of assessing the maturity of the City’s fraud risk management framework that encompasses control activities to prevent, detect, and respond to fraud. …

We audited the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) with the objective of evaluating HCD’s fraud risk management practices for its Emergency Solutions Grants Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (ESG CARES Act) program and assessing the maturity of its efforts to prevent, detect, and respond to fraud.  Fraudulent activity in the ESG CARES Act program can lead to significant financial losses,…

We audited HUD’s management of its FHA appraiser roster to determine whether the roster was accurate and reliable.  We selected this review because a prior audit identified weaknesses related to roster oversight and because this topic aligns with HUD’s strategic goals related to promoting home ownership and strengthening its internal capacity, as well as increased interest in the appraisal process.  HUD’s FHA appraiser roster was…

We audited the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority’s management of lead‐based paint in its public housing program based on our assessment of the risks of lead‐based paint in public housing.  The risk factors assessed included the age of buildings, the number of units, household demographics, and reported cases of childhood lead poisoning.  Our audit objectives were to determine whether the Authority (1) complied with HUD’s…

March 11, 2024, letter from Inspector General Oliver Davis responding to a letter from Senator Grassley requesting a review of HUD to determine whether the nondisclosure policies, forms, agreements, and related documents specific to HUD include the anti-gag provision required by law.

We audited the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program.  The audit was initiated based on our assessment of risks associated with public housing agencies’ HCV Program units and recent media attention and public concern about the conditions of subsidized housing properties.  Our objective was to determine whether the physical condition of the Authority’s HCV Program units complied with the U.S.…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity’s, implementation of Executive Order 13988, which President Biden issued to prevent and combat discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.  We performed this audit to assess HUD’s progress in developing an action plan to implement the executive order.  Our audit objective was to determine whether…

The Inspector General Act of 1978 requires the Inspector General to prepare semiannual reports summarizing the activities of the Office of Inspector General for the preceding six-month period. The semiannual reports are intended to keep the Secretary and Congress fully informed of significant findings, progress the Agency has made, and recommendations for improvement.

Servicers followed the COVID-19 pandemic foreclosure moratorium requirements.  However, they could have better communicated the moratorium requirements to delinquent borrowers who were subject to foreclosure proceedings.  This situation occurred because HUD did not require servicers to notify borrowers directly about the foreclosure moratorium and that occupancy would pause the foreclosure process.  Borrowers who were not informed…

HUD did not comply with PIIA because it did not report improper and unknown payment estimates for the Office of Public and Indian Housing’s Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (PIH-TBRA) program and the Office of Multifamily Housing Programs’ Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) program, HUD’s largest rental assistance programs.  This noncompliance is significant because this is the seventh consecutive year in which HUD has been unable to…

This report is the first in a series of reports taking an in-depth look at how six communities used the pandemic funding they received to address a wide range of needs. The first area was focused on the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, with a detailed look at 9 of the 52 pandemic progams that provided funding to the community.

We audited the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Office of Asset Sales’ U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-Held Vacant Loan Sales (HVLS) program.  The audit objective was to assess the extent to which HUD achieved its mission objectives for a 2022 vacant loan sale.  We noted deficiencies in 52 of 53 HUD-approved applications within the reviewed vacant loan sale.  These deficiencies occurred in transactions…

As required by the Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act of 2012, Public Law 112-194, we performed risk assessments of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) purchase and travel card programs.  In our risk assessments, we analyzed and identified the risks of illegal, improper, or erroneous purchases.  Using information provided by HUD, we assessed risk for eight different risk factors and ranked each risk factor as low…

In response to the wide-reaching impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government provided more than $5 trillion in emergency relief across more than 500 government programs to help individuals, businesses, and state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments respond to the pandemic. To learn how communities across the nation responded to the pandemic, we initiated a multi-part review of six communities. 

We audited the Puerto Rico Housing Finance Authority’s (PRHFA) Homebuyer Assistance Program (HBA), which provides eligible applicants with closing costs and downpayment assistance for the purchase of a primary residence.  The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provided its grantee, the Puerto Rico Department of Housing (PRDOH), $495 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds for HBA Our…

In January 2017, HUD awarded the City $141.2 million in Community Development Block Grant National Disaster Resilience grant funding for disaster resilience. HUD designed the grant to give states flexibility in planning program activities and help state and local communities recover from past disasters, while also improving their infrastructure to withstand future extreme events through strategic community investments.  The City initially…