The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General reviewed the allegations contained in a hotline complaint against the Washington County Department of Housing Services, Hillsboro, OR, to determine whether its application and related submissions to secure HUD grant OR0216L0E061500 were false or misleading or would otherwise cause the Clover Court project to be ineligible for Continuum of Care funding. We…

We audited the City of Albuquerque’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program based on our risk analysis and as part of the Office of Inspector General’s annual audit plan to review community planning and development funds.  The audit objective was to determine whether the City administered its CDBG program in accordance with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements. The City did not always properly…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited the Wyoming Community Development Authority of Casper, WY, for calendar years 2012-2015.  The audit was initiated based on concerns received from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) officials from the Office of Community Planning and Development program staff in Denver, CO.  The objectives of the audit were to determine…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited the Evanston Wyoming Housing Authority’s public and Indian housing program funds for calendar years 2013-2015.  We initiated this audit in response to a hotline complaint.  The complaint alleged that the Authority used its purchase cards and laundry machine program income to pay for personal expenses, such as remodeling of staff members’…

At the request of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Public Housing in Albuquerque, NM, we conducted a review of the Mesilla Valley Public Housing Authority.  The Office of Public Housing estimated that the Authority could lose nearly $1 million by the end of 2014 because it had leased only 983 of its 1,607 vouchers.  Our objectives were to determine the extent, cause, and impact of not leasing all…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited the State of Wyoming’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program run by the Wyoming Business Council.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the State reimbursed only approved costs, its grant agreements contained all required language, it properly monitored its projects, and it ensured that projects met the national objective in…

Based on a referral from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Seattle Office of Labor Relations, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) performed a review of certain payrolls of the owner of Civic Construction, LLC, of Portland, OR.   The payrolls were subject to the Davis-Bacon Act. We completed the review and referred alleged violations to HUD’s Office of Program Enforcement for action under the Program Fraud…

We reviewed the City of Albuquerque, Department of Family and Community Services’ Continuum of Care program.  We initiated the review based on a complaint alleging misconduct in the City’s program.  Specifically, the complainant alleged the City’s Continuum of Care failed to comply with conflict of interest and procurement requirements, did not maintain accurate Homeless Management Information System reports, and expended funds for…

We conducted a review of Home Forward (previously named the Housing Authority of Portland, OR) based on concerns noted during our ongoing internal audit of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of public housing authorities’ compliance with Federal lobbying disclosure requirements.  Our review objective was to determine whether Home Forward complied with Federal lobbying disclosure requirements and…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited the Wyoming Housing Opportunities Association (Association) based on information obtained during a separate audit of the Wyoming Community Development Authority (State Finance Agency), which indicated that 51 Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgages with the same borrower had defaulted.  The purpose of our audit was to determine whether…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited the Northeast Oregon Housing Authority.  We selected the Authority because we received a hotline complaint expressing several concerns about the Authority’s procurement, asset disposal, payroll withholdings, maintenance charge rates, and tenant commissioner housing issues.  Our objective was to determine whether the allegations in hotline…

We audited the Truth or Consequences Housing Authority of Truth or Consequences, NM, in response to an anonymous complaint alleging that the Authority inappropriately transferred ownership of some of its properties to the New Mexico Housing and Community Development Corporation and used its assets to support the Corporation’s activities. Our audit objective was to determine whether the Authority had adequate controls to ensure that it complied…

We reviewed the administration of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Loss Mitigation Program at the Wyoming Community Development Authority, located in Casper, WY.  Our objective was to determine whether the Authority properly administered HUD’s Loss Mitigation Program for Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured mortgages.  We selected the Authority based on its high rate of foreclosure claims.  Its…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General is conducting an audit of the Wyoming Housing Opportunities Association. We are auditing the Wyoming Housing Opportunities Association based on information obtained during our audit of the Wyoming Community Development Authority that 51 Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgages by this same borrower had defaulted.  The audit objective is to determine…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited Home Forward’s Moving to Work Housing Choice Voucher program.  We selected Home Forward, formerly known as the Housing Authority of Portland, because it disbursed the highest average Section 8 funds in Oregon from 2010 to 2012 and third highest in the Region, including Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.  We focused on its tenant-based…

We audited the Grants Housing Authority located in Grants, NM, at the request of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Public Housing Program Center in Albuquerque, NM.  Our objective was to determine whether the Authority used its capital funds and operating funds for allowable costs, performed contracting activities in accordance with program requirements, and correctly processed and paid for Section 8 housing choice…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited Volunteers of America’s (VOA) Whispering Pines Senior Village’s Green Retrofit program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Our objective was to determine whether VOA used its Whispering Pines Green Retrofit Recovery Act funds in accordance with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Recovery Act rules and…

We audited Weststar Mortgage Corporation, a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) nonsupervised direct endorsement lender located in Albuquerque, NM. We selected Weststar for review based on a risk assessment of lenders in New Mexico. Our objective was to determine whether Weststar complied with U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and FHA loan origination requirements for loans on which the borrowers defaulted and FHA paid…

In accordance with our goal to review funds provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, we audited the Housing Authority of the City of Las Cruces Public Housing Capital Fund Stimulus (formula) Recovery Act-funded activities. Specifically, our objectives were to determine whether the Authority (1) properly followed Recovery Act rules and regulations when obligating and expending its Recovery Act formula grant funds, (2)…

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General audited the Mid-Willamette Community Action Agency’s (Agency) Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP). Our objective was to determine whether the Agency disbursed HPRP funds and reported data in accordance with Recovery Act requirements. We found that the Agency paid for HPRP services without adequate supporting documentation for participant…