By Dawn Anastasi, RPA Board Member
You may have seen the news that HACM (Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee) is undergoing issues with running their properties. These issues include delayed maintenance and lost rent payments. HUD, in two letters, notified the agency that its Section 8 bookkeeping contained discrepancies in the millions of dollars and posed a fraud risk.
Recently, HACM has been investigating outsourcing their management to an organization out of Florida.
Read the Article Here for a Recap
What you may not know is that there have been issues with management of Housing Authorities around the country.
Some examples:
Washington, DC
- Dismally low public housing occupancy rate (76%)
- Occupied units in unsafe or unsanitary conditions
Article from March 2024
East St. Louis, IL
- 5 major leadership changes since mid-2023
- Law violations with appointing board members
Article from June 2024
Atlanta, GA
- Units plagued by rodents, roaches, and fire hazards
- Units with mold, water damage, and raw sewage
Article from September 2024
St. Landry Parish, LA
- Negligence in inspections and day-to-day operations
- Housing Authority commissioner removed in September
Article from September 2024
Boston, MA
- Residents waiting weeks or months for maintenance
- More than 17,000 open maintenance requests
Article from June 2024
Springfield, MA
- A grade "F" in a HUD Audit
- Failures in the preparation and filing of financial statements
Article from July 2024
Lee's Summit, MO
- Months of missed payments to rental property owners
- Documents destroyed that should not have been
Article from August 2024
Columbus, OH
- Failure to implement controls over inspections
- Non-compliance with HUD’s reporting and data collection requirements
Article from July 2024
Tulsa, OK
- Late inspections
- Residents not receiving rental vouchers
- Missed rental payments
Article from September 2024
Houston, TX
- Issues with managing project costs
- Building on polluted ground
Article from August 2024
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