Finding ref number: 2025-001 Finding caption: The Housing Authority did not have adequate internal controls and did not comply with the Housing Quality Standards enforcement requirements of its Housing Voucher Cluster program. Name, address, and telephone of Housing Authority contact person: Housing...
Finding ref number: 2025-001 Finding caption: The Housing Authority did not have adequate internal controls and did not comply with the Housing Quality Standards enforcement requirements of its Housing Voucher Cluster program. Name, address, and telephone of Housing Authority contact person: Housing Authority of Grant County, 1139 Larson Blvd., Moses Lake, WA 98837, (509) 762-5541, Carol Anderson Corrective action the auditee plans to take in response to the finding: (If the auditee does not concur with the finding, the auditee must list the reasons for non-concurrence). The Housing Authority previously had procedures in place to ensure that life-threatening deficiencies were corrected within 24 hours and that staff conducted re-inspections within 24 hours of notifying property owners of the required repairs. However, following management and operations staff turnover, newly assigned personnel were not adequately trained on the established procedures and documentation requirements. As a result, required re-inspections and supporting documentation were not consistently completed within the prescribed timeframe. Upon identifying the compliance deficiency, the Housing Authority took immediate corrective action by providing training to all applicable staff members regarding Housing Quality Standards (HQS) documentation requirements and the mandatory 24-hour re-inspection timelines for life-threatening deficiencies. The Housing Authority has reinforced these procedures and implemented oversight measures to ensure ongoing compliance with HUD requirements. With respect to non-life-threatening deficiencies, the Housing Authority consistently notified property owners of required repairs and the 30-day correction deadline. However, re-inspections were not consistently conducted within 30 days of owner notification to verify that the deficiencies had been corrected. In many instances, re-inspections occurred after the required deadline had passed. Once this issue was identified, the Housing Authority immediately revised its procedures to ensure that re-inspections are scheduled and completed within 30 days of notifying property owners of required repairs. Staff received additional training on HQS compliance and re-inspection requirements, and management has implemented monitoring procedures to ensure timely follow-up and continued compliance with HUD regulations. Anticipated date to complete the corrective action: 08/01/2026