Finding Text
2023-002 - HQS Federal Awards Finding – Material Weakness - Failure to perform Housing Quality Standards Inspections Condition: During the audit, it was identified that the Organization did not perform the required on-site inspections to determine compliance with housing quality standards for properties and units funded with HOME funds during the period of affordability for 4 out of 6 units Criteria: 24 CFR sections 92.209(i), 92.251(f), and 92.504(d) require participating jurisdictions to perform on-site inspections to ensure compliance with property standards and housing quality standards. Cause: The noncompliance was due to lack of staffing and oversight. Effect: Failure to perform the required inspections increases the risk that properties and units do not meet housing quality standards or property standards, potentially jeopardizing the health and safety of tenants and placing the Organization at risk of noncompliance with federal requirements. Recommendation: We recommend the Organization: 1. Develop and implement a monitoring system to track and schedule required inspections. 2. Allocate sufficient resources to ensure timely inspections are conducted. 3. Provide training for staff on the inspection requirements Response: During 2020 – 2022, HOMECorp’s management team was significantly impacted by COVID and despite PPP loan retention efforts we lost all our staff and transitioned our HUD Certified Housing Counselor to Property Manager. Due to staffing shortages and restricted to access to apartments as a result of health concerns, our property manager was unable to perform Housing Quality Standards Inspections. The new Executive Director has contracted with a General Contractor to help assist our property manager with Housing Quality Standards Inspections. These inspections are conducted annually with detailed inspection logs for HVAC, Painting, Fire Safety, and major unit renovations maintained and tracked in our digital database. These logs are reviewed and updated on a quarterly basis to ensure timeliness in compliance and maintenance requests.