The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG) is auditing the use of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds as non-Federal match for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA)Public Assistance Program.  Our objectives are to determine whether four CDBG-DR grantees made improper payments and whether the Office of Community Planning and Development’s…

We audited the project activity status for 12 grantees that received funds under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) National Disaster Resilience (NDR) grant to determine whether the grantees have accomplished or are on track to accomplish the goals of the activities outlined in their action plans. We found that NDR grantees should be able to accomplish their program goals by…

We performed an audit examining HUD’s efforts to prevent duplication of benefits when using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Disaster Recovery and Mitigation funds.  Our objective was to determine how the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) assesses the adequacy of grantee procedures to prevent a duplication of benefits, both before and after grant execution. HUD certified grantees’ high-level processes for…

We performed an audit related to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Disaster Recovery Data Portal.  The Disaster Recovery Data Portal is a technological solution planned by HUD to facilitate the rapid and secure transmission of data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery grantees.  We performed the work because HUD needs a solution to…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD), oversight of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grantees’ use of program income.  We initiated this audit in accordance with our goal of ensuring and promoting accountability and effectiveness in disaster response and recovery.  Our audit objective was to determine whether HUD ensured that program income generated from disaster funds…

We audited the Office of Community Planning and Development’s (CPD) monitoring and oversight of the Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program.  The objective of the audit was to determine whether CPD had effectively and efficiently designed its CDBG-DR program requirements and monitoring to ensure that the grantees meet statutory and other Federal low- and moderate-income (LMI) requirements.  Generally,…

As part of a Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) Disaster Assistance Working Group cross-cutting initiative, we summarized the conclusions, findings, and recommendations of 28 reports related to the Federal Government’s natural disaster preparedness and response issued by 7 Offices of Inspector General (OIGs).  The seven participating OIGs included U.S. Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services…

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act made available $5 billion in supplemental CDBG funding for grants to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic (CDBG-CV grants).  Because of similarities, we reviewed 132 CDBG-DR program audits and evaluations issued from May 2002 to March 2020 to summarize the common CDBG-DR program weaknesses and risks for CPD to consider to help its CDBG…

We conducted a review of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Supplemental Disaster Recovery program funds, administered by the State of Mississippi (State), a $5.5 billion CDBG Supplemental Disaster Recovery program grantee. Our objective was to determine whether the State ensured that disbursements made under the Homeowner Assistance Elevation Grant Program (Program) were eligible…

We conducted a review of the State of Mississippi (State), a $5.5 billion Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster recovery grantee. We initiated the audit as part of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Gulf Coast Region’s audit plan and examination of relief efforts provided by the Federal Government in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Our objective was to determine whether the State ensured that contracts were…

We conducted a review of the State of Mississippi (State), a $5.5 billion Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster recovery grantee. We initiated the review as part of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Gulf Coast Region’s audit plan and examination of relief efforts provided by the federal government in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Our objectives were to determine whether the State ensured that (1) public housing…

We audited the State of Mississippi's (State) administration of the $5.058 billion in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster recovery funds provided to the State in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The State allocated $2.2 billion to help homeowners in southern Mississippi recover from Hurricane Katrina. Our audit objective was to determine whether the State ensured that applicants were eligible to receive disbursements under…

We audited the State of Mississippi's (State) administration of the $5.058 billion in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster recovery funds provided to the State in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The State allocated $2.2 billion to help homeowners in southern Mississippi recover from Hurricane Katrina. During our audit on grant eligibility, we identified a few possible duplicate payments when reviewing the State's…

We audited the State of Mississippi's Development Authority's (Authority) Homeowners Assistance Program (Program), implemented by Reznick Group and Reznick Mississippi, LLC (contractor). We initiated the audit in conjunction with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Gulf Coast Region's audit plan and examination of relief efforts provided by the federal government in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Our audit…

We audited the Homeowner's Assistance Grant Program (Program), a component of the State of Mississippi's (State) administration of the $5.058 billion in Community Development Block Grant disaster recovery funds provided to the State in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The State allocated $3 billion to help homeowners in Southern Mississippi recover from Hurricane Katrina. The audit objectives were to determine whether the State and/…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Office of Inspector General audited the State of Mississippi's (State) calculation of homeowners' grant amounts and monitoring of the implementation of its Homeowner's Assistance Grant Program. Our audit was part of the activities in our annual audit plan. Our objectives were to determine whether the State appropriately calculated the homeowners' grant amounts and monitored the…