City of Portland Housing Bureau Risk Audit.

Big "O" story is HERE; 48 page auditor report is HERE:

We performed a broad-based audit to assess risk at the Housing Bureau because the Bureau is relatively new and has experienced significant change since its inception....A risk differs from an audit finding. An audit finding identifies a problem that is occurring, while a risk identifies potential problems that warrant management attention. We identified six risk areas that warrant management attention.We also concluded that the Bureau has partially implemented the recommendations from our 2007 audit on the 10-year Plan to End Homelessness. In addition, we found that the Bureau has addressed significant deficiencies identified in the City’s 2009 and 2010 financial audits. The Bureau is already working to address many of the risks we identified; we recommend that they continue their efforts and consider implementing the mitigating activities we propose for each risk.

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

Metro Tuesday March 2 Work Session Item: Auditor Identified Problems with Follow Up on Functional Plan Reporting Changes.

The Tuesday March 2nd. Metro Council work session includes an agenda item to discuss a just (Feb 22nd.) released Metro Auditor's report on Metro's failure to follow up on changes in performance reporting for the Urban Growth functional plan, following a Metro suspension of performance reporting in November of 2007. (This included suspension of reporting of changes in the supply of affordable housing units).

The Auditor's report can be found HERE.

The last annual performance reporting from Metro on the Urban Growth Functional Plan was published in September 2005, reporting progress as of 2004; a Metro web site with that Urban Growth Report functional plan compliance reporting is HERE.

The Metro 2004 compliance report HERE notes that as of 2004:

"Compliance for Title 7 [The Affordable Housing Title'] was at 62% and only four local governments have met all of the Title 7 reporting requirements."

The Metro response to the poor rate of reporting was to adopt new reduced reporting requirements for local governments, including reporting of changes in the supply of affordable housing. HOWEVER, Metro failed to follow up on this reporting requirement and effectively stopped any reporting on changes in housing supply by suspending reporting in November of 2007 (for a planned two year period).

The Metro Council packet for the meeting is HERE; the meeting is scheduled to start at 1PM, with this agenda item scheduled for discussion at 1:15 PM.

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

St. Paul Minnesota Section 8 Audit Not Terrible, but Also Not "Above Average".

News story HERE.
Audit is HERE.

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

HUD IG: Chattanooga PHA Has to Repay $1 Million.

Chattanooga Times Free Press story is HERE. Their story lead:

"The Chattanooga Housing Authority has mismanaged more than $5 million and may have to repay more than $1 million to the federal government, according to a new audit report."

IG Audit Report HERE. Report says that PHA :

"1) Used more than $788,000 in Section 8 housing assistance funds for Authority operating expenses in violation of Section 8 regulations,
(2) Used $1.2 million in restricted Fannie Mae loan proceeds to cover operating expenses in violation of the executed loan agreement,
(3) Paid employee bonuses of more than $210,000 and a cost of living adjustment of more than $180,000 in conflict with its own policies,
(4) Approved more than $193,000 in excessive severance payments during two 2008 reductions in force in conflict with its own policies,
(5) Used $49,316 in public housing operating funds to pay non-HUD expenses in violation of annual contributions contract requirements, and
(6) Liquidated more than $4 million in investments without adequately informing the board, in violation of both HUD and Authority requirements."

Portland BHCD and PDC Sections of Service Efforts and Accomplishments Report.

The Auditor's Office for the City of Portland recently published their 2006-2007 report of Service Efforts and Accomplishments HERE.

Sections for two key City of Portland housing agencies can be found at pages 58-61 for the Bureau of Housing and Community Development (BHCD), and at pages 62-67 for the Portland Development Commission (PDC).