A Review of Pandemic Relief Funding and How It Was Used In Six U.S. Communities Springfield, Massachusetts
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.
Mayo 01, 2024
Topic Brief
Pandemic Relief Experiences: A Focus on Six communities
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.
Marzo 28, 2024
Topic Brief
Management Alert: Action Is Needed From HUD Leadership To Resolve Systemic Challenges With Improper Payments
While conducting our annual audit of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD or Department) compliance with the Payment Integrity and Information Act, HUD’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) informed my office that the Department will once again be unable to estimate improper payments for the Office of Public and Indian Housing’s Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (PIH-TBRA) program and the Office of...
Enero 23, 2024
Management Alert
#2024-IG-0001
Priority Open Recommendations for Fiscal Year 2024
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide an update on the overall status of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) implementation of HUD Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) Priority Open Recommendations and to transmit the attached list of Priority Open Recommendations for fiscal year (FY) 2024. Our goal is to highlight key open recommendations from prior OIG reports that if implemented, would have the...
Enero 09, 2024
Memorandum
Tracking Pandemic Relief Funds that Went to Local Communities Reveals Persistent Data Gaps and Data Reliability Issues
The PRAC and ten of its member Offices of Inspector General (OIG) (together, the PRAC Oversight Team) undertook this case study-based review: 1. To determine how much pandemic relief funding went to six selected communities; 2. To gain more insight about how the six communities used their pandemic relief funding; and 3. To learn more about whether the funding helped the six communities respond to the pandemic
Julio 01, 2023
Topic Brief
Management Alert: HUD Should Take Additional Steps to Protect Contractor Employees Who Disclose Wrongdoing
The OIG has learned that employees of thousands of contractors who receive funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are not protected against retaliation for blowing the whistle on wrongdoing. The gap in protections exists because (1) the contracts pre-date July 1, 2013, the date on which the anti-retaliation law codified at 41 U.S.C. § 4712 (Section 4712) became effective; and (2) HUD has not...
Mayo 31, 2023
Management Alert
#2023-IG-0002
End of Preliminary Research – Program Management Improvement Accountability Act of 2016
The Office of Evaluation began preliminary research related to the Program Management Improvement Accountability Act (PMIAA) of 2016. The objective was to determine how HUD has implemented and complied with the requirements of PMIAA. After completing informational interviews with HUD officials and reviewing related documentation, we have determined that a full evaluation is premature at this time because HUD is still...
Abril 28, 2023
Memorandum
#2022-OE-0006
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...
Octubre 04, 2022
Management Alert
#2023-IG-0001
Priority Open Recommendations for Fiscal Year 2023
On September 28, 2022, HUD OIG issued this inaugural Priority Open Recommendations resource for the Department and other stakeholders to promote the efficiency and effectiveness of HUD programs and operations. These priority open recommendations fall within several areas we identified in our FY 2022 Top Management Challenges report:Eliminating Hazards in HUD Assisted-HousingAdministering Disaster Recovery AssistanceGrants...
Septiembre 28, 2022
Memorandum
Challenges Faced by Section 232 Nursing Homes During the Pandemic
We conducted a limited review of nursing home owners to identify their operational challenges and needs of nursing homes in responding to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Our objective was to determine the biggest challenges operators of Section 232 nursing home facilities face related to the COVID-19 pandemic and whether nursing homes are prepared to meet their future financial obligations. Most of the...
Marzo 29, 2022
Memorandum
#2022-KC-0801
Fiscal Year 2021 Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) Evaluation Security Technical Testing Topic Brief
The Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA) requires all federal agencies to conduct independent security technical verification testing on a sampling of information systems annually. In conjunction with our fiscal year 2021 FISMA evaluation (2021-OE-0001), we conducted a targeted security testing assessment of sample systems that resulted in a Topic Brief. The objective of this application...
Febrero 15, 2022
Topic Brief
#2021-OE-0001a
Delays in Federal Housing Administration Catalyst’s Development
In February 2021, the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) identified funding risks with the development contract under which HUD contracted for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Catalyst’s development. In response, HUD officials took steps to slow FHA Catalyst spending on the contract while awaiting approval for additional contract funds. Despite efforts to slow project spending, it was not enough to prevent...
Noviembre 17, 2021
Memorandum
#2021-OE-0003a
Public Housing Agencies’ Experiences and Challenges Regarding the Administration of HUD’s CARES Act Funds
We conducted a limited review of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act supplemental public housing operating funds (supplemental funds). Our objective was to assess public housing agencies’ (PHA) experiences and challenges and HUD’s efforts in providing guidance related to the administration of the supplemental operating funds under the CARES Act....
Noviembre 16, 2021
Memorandum
#2022-CH-0801
Lessons Learned and Key Considerations From Prior Audits and Evaluations of the CDBG Disaster Recovery Program
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...
Noviembre 02, 2021
Memorandum
#2022-FW-0801
2021 Persistent IT Challenges and Issues Facing HUD
The brief provides an update to the original 2018 topic brief, and highlights key challenges faced by HUD in managing and improving its IT program. The brief is not based on new work, but is a summary of 83 reports and 788 recommendations from past HUD OIG and GAO reports. It discusses the present IT environment at HUD, previously identified and new IT-related challenges, and HUD’s efforts and progress in addressing these...
Agosto 09, 2021
Topic Brief
#2021-OE-0004
Limited Review of HUD’s Office of Chief Procurement Officer Pandemic-Related Procurement Accommodations and Challenges
We conducted a limited review of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of the Chief Procurement Officer’s (OCPO) administration of five procurement activities under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The CARES Act and related Office of Management and Budget memorandums gave HUD flexibility in modifying existing contracts and required rapid delivery of CARES Act funds...
Julio 14, 2021
Memorandum
#2021-FW-0801
Promoting a Homeless Waitlist Preference at Multifamily-Assisted Rental Unit Properties
We prepared this memorandum to provide the Office of Housing at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) information regarding the opportunity to promote a homeless waitlist preference at Multifamily Housing rental assistance properties. HUD has an opportunity to revisit the promotion and marketing of its homeless waitlist preference and the importance of partnering with a homeless service provider. ...
Junio 17, 2021
Memorandum
#2021-KC-0802
Evaluation Closure – Federal Housing Administration Residency Requirements
In June 2020, we received letters from members of Congress, including the chairpersons of the House Committee on Financial Services and Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee, expressing concern that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) imposed a new, nonpublic, and legally erroneous policy that prohibited issuing Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured loans to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA...
Marzo 30, 2021
Memorandum
#2021-OE-0002
HUD and its CDBG-DR grantees have experienced challenges related to the COVID-19 Pandemic
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), has completed a survey of the impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grantees. Our objective was to determine the challenges that HUD and its CDBG-DR grantees are experiencing related to the COVID-19 pandemic and to help inform the Office of...
Marzo 23, 2021
Memorandum
#2021-GA-0801
Key Considerations From Prior Audits of the Single Family Default Monitoring System and the Partial Claim Loss Mitigation Option
We prepared this memorandum to provide the Office of Housing at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with key considerations from prior audits of the HUD Single Family Default Monitoring System (SFDMS) and the partial claim loss mitigation option. These audits identified HUD’s lack of effective controls to ensure that lenders reported default information accurately and in a timely manner, lenders promptly...
Marzo 12, 2021
Memorandum
#2021-KC-0801