We completed an inspection of the State of Louisiana’s (State) Road Home Elevation Incentive (elevation grant) program funded by HUD Community Development Block Grant disaster recovery funds.  We wanted to know whether homeowners used the funds to elevate their homes as set forth in their grant agreements.  Our inspection covered 199 (about 10 percent) of the 1,906 property owners who received more than $44.4 million in elevation…

HUD OIG performed an audit of Mortgage Counseling Services, Inc., a Federal Housing Administration approved non-supervised lender. The review was performed based on the lender’s high default rates. The purpose of the audit was to determine whether the lender followed the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) requirements for (1) borrower eligibility and creditworthiness and property eligibility when underwriting loans and (2…

We performed an audit of the State of Louisiana, Office of Community Development (State), Recovery Workforce Training Program (Program) administered by the State’s subrecipient, Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC). 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 audit…

As part of the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General's obligation to ensure accountability and transparency in use of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funds, we performed a review to assess the Housing Authority of New Orleans' (Authority) capacity to administer $34.5 million in ARRA funding. Our objective was to evaluate the Authority's capacity and risks in the following areas:…

The City of Atlanta (City) received a $12.3 million Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) grant from HUD that was authorized under Title III of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act. Also, the City applied for an additional $57.9 million in NSP funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. We selected the City for review due to the amount of its NSP funding and because of performance concerns identified during our previous…

HUD OIG performed an audit of the Housing Authority of the City of Conyers' administration of its disbursements and procurement procedures. The Georgia State Office of Public Housing requested the audit due to concerns regarding the use of its funds and violation of its procurement procedures The purpose of the audit was to determine whether the Authority used its federal funds in compliance with HUD regulations and other requirements. The…

HUD OIG performed an audit of the Housing Authority of the City of Conyers' administration of its disbursements and procurement procedures. The Georgia State Office of Public Housing requested the audit due to concerns regarding the use of its funds and violation of its procurement procedures The purpose of the audit was to determine whether the Authority used its federal funds in compliance with HUD regulations and other requirements. The…

We audited the City of Atlanta’s (City) HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) because it has received more than $17 million in HOME funding since 2005. Our objective was to determine whether the City accurately entered commitments into the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Integrated Disbursement and Information System (information system) for HOME-funded activities. The City did not comply with HUD requirements…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) as part of our fiscal year 2009 annual audit plan. Our audit objectives were to assess the adequacy of HUD’s monitoring and implementation of requirements to recapture HOME funds not committed within two years and spent within five years, assess the adequacy of HUD’s monitoring and use of its Integrated Disbursement and…

We audited the Louisiana Land Trust (LLT), a $29 million Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster recovery subrecipient of the State of Louisiana, Office of Community Development (State). 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 audit objective was to…

HUD OIG performed an audit of the Housing Authority of the City of Newnan’s activities with its related nonprofit organization, the Newnan Housing Development Corporation. The review was performed based on concerns that the Authority encumbered its assets, used its federal funds to support nonprofit development activities, and had a conflict-of-interest transaction. The purpose of the audit was to determine whether the Authority…

Due to a citizen's complaint, we audited the State of Louisiana's (State) Road Home homeowner assistance program managed by the State's contractor, ICF Emergency Management Services, LLC. The complaint raised a potential issue with Road Home employees improperly obtaining grants. During our audit on employee eligibility for additional compensation grants, we identified possible program eligibility issues through a review of the…

Due to a citizen's complaint, we audited the State of Louisiana's (State) Road Home homeowner assistance program managed by the State's contractor, ICF Emergency Management Services, LLC. The complaint raised a potential issue with Road Home employees improperly obtaining grants. During our audit on employee eligibility for additional compensation grants, we identified possible program eligibility issues through a review of the…

We audited the Jonesboro Housing Authority's (Authority) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program as part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General's (OIG) annual audit plan. Our objective was to determine whether the Authority's Section 8 housing choice voucher units met HUD standards. The Authority's Section 8 units generally met housing quality standards. Our inspection of…

At the request of two United States senators, we initiated an audit of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) administration of the Housing Authority of New Orleans (Authority) to determine the effect of HUD's receivership on the Authority's performance. Specifically, we wanted to determine whether HUD had taken action to improve the Authority's post-Hurricane Katrina performance while under HUD…

HUD OIG performed an audit of the City of Augusta's HOME Investment Partnerships program as part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's annual audit plan. The purpose of the audit was to determine whether the City complied with HOME program requirements for monitoring (1) HOME community housing development organizations and subrecipients and (2) the use of CHDOs' proceeds. This is the second of two audit reports…

HUD OIG performed an audit of the City of Augusta's Community Development Block Grant Facade Rehabilitation Grant program due to concerns of mismanagement and abuse regarding the City's program. The purpose of the audit was to determine whether the City's facade program complied with federal requirements and whether program activities met the national objectives of the CDBG program The City did not have adequate controls over its…

At the request of two United States senators, we initiated an audit of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) administration of the Housing Authority of New Orleans (Authority) to determine the effect of HUD's receivership on the Authority's performance in its contracting activities and financial functions. Specifically, we wanted to determine whether HUD's receivership ensured that the Authority…

We completed an inspection of HUD funds drawn from the Line of Credit Control System (LOCCS) to pay for construction at Savoy Place, the last phase of the Desire Development at The Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO).  The Desire Development is a three-phase HOPE VI development, comprising of Abundance, Treasure, and Savoy Place.   We compared progress payments HANO made to the developer, Michaels Development Company, with…

HUD OIG performed corrective action verification for an audit recommendation cited in the audit report, Cuthbert Housing Authority, Public Housing Programs (2004-AT-1001) issued January 15, 2004. The purpose of the corrective action verification was to determine whether the selected audit recommendation was implemented and expended its funds in accordance with HUD regulations. The Authority did not comply with its HUD-approved agreement to…