Final Civil Action: Civic Construction, LLC, Settled Allegations of Making False Claims to the Seattle Housing Authority
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.
The Chicago Housing Authority, Chicago, IL, Did Not Always Ensure It Complied With HUD's Requirements For Exception Payment Standards
We audited the Chicago Housing Authority’s Moving to Work Housing Choice Voucher program as part of the activities in our fiscal year 2014 annual audit plan. We selected the Authority based on a request from Congressman Aaron Schock and recent media attention regarding the Authority’s exception payment standards. Our objective was to determine whether the Authority complied with its Moving to Work agreement, the U.S.
HUD Lacked Adequate Oversight To Ensure That Public Housing Agencies Complied With Federal Lobbying Disclosure Requirements and Restrictions
We audited the U.S.
Intergovernmental Personnel Act Appointment Created an Inherent Conflict of Interest in the Office of Public and Indian Housing
Based on a hotline complaint and additional work by our Financial Audit Division and Office of Legal Counsel, we reviewed whether a conflict of interest existed within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH). Specifically, former PIH Assistant Secretary Sandra B. Henriquez appointed Debra Gross, a former lobbyist and the deputy director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA), a housing industry group, to be responsible for PIH’s Office of Policy, Program and Legislative Initiatives (OPPLI).
The Office of Public and Indian Housing has Reduced Subsidized Public Housing Vacancies
Preliminary Research Closeout Memorandum In 2011, HUD established a high priority goal to reduce vacancies through improved management of the public housing inventory. Since then, HUD has substantially reduced vacancies, saving taxpayer dollars and enhancing the availability of habitable rental units. Subsidized vacancies, measured in unit months, have decreased from approximately 550,000 in 2011 to approximately 379,000 currently. The improvement has resulted in a reduction in public housing vacancies from 4.2% to 2.9% during the three-year period.
The Freeport Housing Authority, Freeport, NY, Did Not Administer Its Low-Rent Housing and Homeownership Programs in Accordance With HUD’s Regulations
We completed a review of the Freeport Housing Authority’s administration of its low-rent housing and homeownership programs. We selected the Authority due to a request from the U.S.