The Philadelphia Housing Authority Needs To Improve Oversight Of Lead-Based Paint In Its Public Housing
We audited the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s (Authority) management of lead‐based paint in its public housing program based on our assessment of the risks of lead‐based paint in public housing agencies’ (PHA) housing developments. The risk factors included the age of buildings, the number of units, household demographics, reported cases of childhood lead poisoning, and reports of missing lead‐based paint inspections in HUD’s data. The audit…
March 22, 2023
Report
#2023-CH-1001
Improvements are Needed to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Processes for Monitoring Elevated Blood Lead Levels and Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Public Housing
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust are some of the most widespread and hazardous sources of lead exposure for young children in the United States. There is no safe blood lead level in children, and there is no cure for lead poisoning. Therefore, it is important to prevent exposure to lead, especially among children.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (…
February 28, 2023
Report
#2021-OE-0011b
HUD Lacked Adequate Oversight of Lead-Based Paint Hazard Remediation in Public Housing
HUD established procedures in the Lead Safe Housing Rule in 1999 to eliminate lead-based paint hazards, as far as practicable, in public housing. However, it did not have a plan to manage lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards in public housing. Additionally, HUD generally did not monitor whether public housing agencies had implemented lead-based paint hazard reduction and documented the activities at their public housing developments…
October 11, 2022
Report
#2023-CH-0001
Management Alert: Action Needed to Ensure That Assisted Property Owners, Including Public Housing Agencies, Comply with the Lead Safe Housing Rule
While conducting an ongoing audit of the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s (Authority) management of lead-based paint hazards in its public housing units, we identified a significant gap in HUD’s program requirements related to safe work practices, which we believe requires immediate action by HUD. We identified that the Authority determined a substantial percentage of maintenance and hazard reduction work performed on surfaces with lead-based…
October 04, 2022
Management alert
#2023-IG-0001
Risk Indicators of Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Public Housing Agencies
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust are some of the most widespread and hazardous sources of lead exposure for young children in the United States. When lead-based paint peels and cracks, it results in lead-contaminated paint chips and dust. Children can be poisoned if they chew on surfaces coated with lead-based paint, eat flaking paint chips, or eat or breathe in…
September 28, 2022
Report
#2021-OE-0011a
HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing Programs’ Complaint Process Did Not Ensure That Health and Safety Complaints Were Resolved in a Timely Manner
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General, audited HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing Programs’ health and safety complaint process. We conducted this audit due to a July 2019 explosion that occurred at the Calloway Cove Apartments, a Multifamily housing property in Jacksonville, FL, which resulted in a fire that injured several people. HUD’s Real Estate Assessment Center had identified life-…
July 28, 2021
Report
#2021-KC-0004
Contaminated Sites Pose Potential Health Risks to Residents at HUD-Funded Properties
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 and 2015, a child living…
February 14, 2021
Report
#2019-OE-0003
HUD Needs To Improve Its Oversight of Lead in the Water of Housing Choice Voucher and Public Housing Program Units
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 sufficient policies,…
August 21, 2020
Report
#2020-CH-0004
HUD Needs To Improve Its Oversight of Lead in the Water of Multifamily Housing Units
We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of lead in the water of multifamily housing units based on our goal of strengthening the soundness of multifamily 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 Multifamily Housing Programs had sufficient policies, procedures, and controls to ensure that households living in…
August 21, 2020
Report
#2020-CH-0005
HUD Has Not Referred Troubled Public Housing Agencies as the Law and Regulations Require
The Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) has not referred troubled public housing agencies (PHAs) to the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing to take them over as the law and regulations require. Without this referral mechanism, a PHA could remain troubled for an indefinite period while conditions stagnate or deteriorate. We identified 18 PHAs that remained troubled for more than 2 years without being referred
PIH is…
February 04, 2020
Report
#2019-OE-0001
The City of Detroit’s Housing and Revitalization Department, Detroit, MI, Did Not Administer Its Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Grant Program in Accordance With HUD’s Requirements
We audited the City of Detroit’s Housing and Revitalization Department’s Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Grant Program based on our analysis of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes’ grantees in Region 5’s jurisdiction.[1] Our audit objective was to determine whether the Department administered the Program in accordance with HUD’s requirements.
The Department did not…
October 02, 2019
Report
#2020-CH-1001
The City of Chicago’s Department of Public Health, Chicago, IL, Did Not Administer Its Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Grant Program in Accordance With HUD’s and Its Own Requirements
We audited the City of Chicago’s Department of Public Health’s (Department) Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Grant Program based on our analysis of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes grantees in Region 5’s jurisdiction. Our audit objective was to determine whether the Department administered the Program in accordance with HUD’s and its own requirements.
The Department…
September 30, 2018
Report
#2018-CH-1010
HUD Lacked Adequate Oversight of Lead-Based Paint Reporting and Remediation in Its Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher Programs
We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of lead-based paint reporting and remediation in its public housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs. The audit was part of the activities in our fiscal year 2017 annual audit plan. The audit objective was to determine whether HUD had adequate oversight of lead‐based paint reporting and remediation in its public housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs.
HUD…
June 14, 2018
Report
#2018-CH-0002
The Kansas City, MO, Health Department Did Not Spend Lead Based Paint Hazard Control Grant Funds in Accordance With HUD Requirements
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), audited the Kansas City, MO, Health Department’s Lead Safe KC program due to increased media attention on lead-based paint poisoning in the Kansas City area. Further, we had never conducted an audit of the more than $21.6 million in grants received by the Health Department since 1997. Our audit objective was to determine whether the Health Department…
April 06, 2018
Report
#2018-KC-1002
Assessing HUD Plans for Evaluating Urban Promise Zones and HUD Grant Programs Participating in Promise Zones
Twenty-two Promise Zones were selected through three rounds of national competition. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), oversees 14 urban Promise Zones, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversees 8 rural and tribal Promise Zones. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) tasked HUD and USDA to lead the Promise Zone initiative and play essential roles in gathering information about progress in Promise Zones…
April 19, 2017
Report
#2016-OE-0010
The City of High Point Did Not Properly Administer Its Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Grants in Compliance With Federal Requirements
We audited the City of High Point’s lead-based paint procurement and eligibility operations. We selected the Authority based on concerns from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control. Our audit objective was to determine whether the City administered its lead-based paint hazard control grants in accordance with HUD’s regulations and grant requirements for procurement of…
July 09, 2015
Report
#2015-AT-1005
The City of Spokane and Lead Hazard Control and Recovery Act Requirements
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited the City of Spokane, WA’s Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to determine whether the City complied with procurement, matching, and reporting requirements when executing its grant. This audit was part of the mandate to monitor grant activities funded by the Recovery Act. We selected the City…
April 26, 2013
Report
#2013-SE-1003
Healthy Homes Needs To Strengthen Its Controls Over Lead Hazard Control Grant Administrative Costs
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General conducted a limited scope internal review of Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control (Healthy Homes) to determine whether Healthy Homes allowed excessive administrative costs to be charged to the Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control grant program. This review was the result of the audit of the Washington State Lead Hazard Control grant (2012-SE-1005,…
April 18, 2013
Memorandum
#2013-KC-0801
The State of Washington Generally Complied With Lead Hazard Control Grant and Recovery Act Requirements but Charged Excessive Administrative Costs
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited the Washington State Department of Commerce to determine whether it complied with Lead Hazard Control grant project eligibility, matching contribution, administrative cost, and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act reporting requirements. This audit is part of the national mandate to monitor grant activities funded by the Recovery Act. We selected…
August 09, 2012
Report
#2012-SE-1005
The State of Wisconsin’s Department of Commerce Needs To Improve Its Oversight of Its Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Recovery Act Grant
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General audited the State of Wisconsin’s Department of Commerce’s Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The audit was part of the activities in our fiscal year 2011 annual audit plan. We selected the State for review based on a citizen’s complaint forwarded to our office from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s…
February 29, 2012
Report
#2012-CH-1005