We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Community Planning and Development’s (CPD) monitoring of grantees’ compliance with civil rights requirements. Our audit focused on the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME). Our audit objective was to assess the extent to which CPD monitored civil rights compliance in its program activities.CPD could...

This report was issued from a developing series of six reports taking an in-depth look at how six communities used the pandemic funding they received to address a wide range of needs. This report focused on White Earth Nation Reservation in Minnesota with a detailed look at ten of the 56 pandemic programs that provided funding to the community. This report was led by the Pandemic Relief Accountability Committee (PRAC) in coordination...

This report was issued from a developing series of six reports taking an in-depth look at how six communities used the pandemic funding they received to address a wide range of needs. This report focused on Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, with a detailed look at six of the 27 pandemic programs that provided funding to the community. This report was led by the Pandemic Relief Accountability Committee (PRAC) in coordination with HUD OIG as a...

We audited HUD and its grantees’ monitoring of subrecipients and contractors in HUD’s Emergency Solutions Grants Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (ESG-CV) program to assess subrecipient monitoring in the program.  ESG and ESG-CV grantees often rely on subrecipients and contractors to carry out ESG-CV-funded activities on behalf of the grantees, and are required to monitor subrecipients to ensure that the...

This report was issued from a developing series of six reports taking an in-depth look at how six communities used the pandemic funding they received to address a wide range of needs. This report focused on Sheridan County, Nebraska, with a detailed look at six of the 31 pandemic programs that provided funding to the community. This report was led by the Pandemic Relief Accountability Committee in coordination with HUD OIG as a project...

We audited the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Budget and Fiscal Services’ and Department of Community Services’ (City) fraud risk management practices for its Emergency Solutions Grants Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (ESG CARES Act) program with the objective of assessing the maturity of the City’s fraud risk management framework that encompasses control activities to prevent, detect, and respond to...

We audited the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) with the objective of evaluating HCD’s fraud risk management practices for its Emergency Solutions Grants Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (ESG CARES Act) program and assessing the maturity of its efforts to prevent, detect, and respond to fraud.  Fraudulent activity in the ESG CARES Act program can lead to significant financial...

This report was issued from a developing series of six reports taking an in-depth look at how six communities used the pandemic funding they received to address a wide range of needs. This report focused on Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, with a detailed look at eight of the 45 pandemic programs that provided funding to the community. This report was led by the Pandemic Relief Accountability Committee (PRAC) in coordination with HUD OIG as a...

Servicers followed the COVID-19 pandemic foreclosure moratorium requirements.  However, they could have better communicated the moratorium requirements to delinquent borrowers who were subject to foreclosure proceedings.  This situation occurred because HUD did not require servicers to notify borrowers directly about the foreclosure moratorium and that occupancy would pause the foreclosure process.  Borrowers who were...

HUD OIG is auditing the Office of Community Planning and Development's monitoring of civil rights compliance. Fair housing and civil rights are critical in making sure all Americans have equal access to the housing of their choice. The audit objective is to assess the extent to which HUD's Office of Community Planning and Development monitored civil rights compliance in their program activities. 

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Native American Programs’ (ONAP) coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) recovery programs.  We performed this audit to provide HUD with insight and a nationwide perspective on the challenges that grantees experienced with those programs.  Our audit objectives were to identify 1) the information, guidance, and training HUD provided to the grantees...

The Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) traditionally uses onsite monitoring to monitor its grantees.  However, in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, CPD shifted to 100 percent remote monitoring.  Monitoring was momentarily paused in fiscal year (FY) 2020 and was reinstituted remotely in FY 2021. To support its remote monitoring approach, CPD launched the Grantee Document Exchange (GDX), an...

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Native American Programs’ (ONAP) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act to identify drawdown levels for its block grant programs and assessed information ONAP made publicly available. As of October 4, 2022, grantees had drawn $231.6 million of the $300 million in CARES Act block grant funds and $135.8...

In coordination with the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, we conducted an audit to identify potential fraud schemes that could affect HUD’s pandemic funds.  We reviewed the funds appropriated by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act for the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA), Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA), HOME Investment Partnerships, and...

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act program.Our audit objective was to determine what challenges grantees faced in using program funds for activities that prepare for, prevent, or respond to the coronavirus and its impact.  We used a survey questionnaire to gather feedback and insight directly from 1,047...

HUD OIG has initiated an audit of HUD's Community Development Block Grants (CDBG-Non-State) Grantee Federal Financial Reporting. Our objectives are to determine (1) whether the financial information collected from CDBG entitlement grantees is sufficient to monitor grantee financial reporting and performance as required by the CDBG program (24 CFR 570.502) and the Uniform Administrative Requirements (2 CFR 200); (2) whether HUD is...

HUD OIG is auditing HUD’s ONAP COVID 19 Recovery Program, which includes funds provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) and American Rescue Plan (ARP) Acts. Congress provided over $1 billion in ONAP CARES and ARP grant formula and competitive funding. Our objective is to determine the challenges that Native American and Hawaiian tribes face in implementing and utilizing the funding provided by the CARES...

HUD OIG is one of 10 OIGs participating in this PRAC-led COVID 19 Pandemic Impact Project. The OIGs will conduct the review and provide the results to the PRAC for the final consolidated work products.  The objective is to identify the federal pandemic response program funds provided to select geographic areas and the purpose of those funds, and to determine whether the federal program spending aligned with the intended goals and...

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...

The Office of Inspector General is initiating an evaluation of the Office of Community Planning and Development’s (CPD) use of remote monitoring between October 1, 2018 and September 30, 2021. Our objectives are to determine (1) what has changed in CPD’s monitoring approach, and (2) what opportunities for improvement exist in CPD’s use of remote monitoring.