Housing Voucher Cluster – Assistance Listing No. 14.871 / 14.879
Recommendation: The Commission should implement processes to ensure that all proper documentation is being maintained for inspections of tenant residences.
Explanation of disagreement with audit finding: There is no disagreement with the audit finding.
Action taken in response to finding:
The Housing Opportunities Commission (“HOC”) and Yardi, software vendor, recently identified a glitch in the system that led to the omission of several inspections. HOC met with Yardi to resolve this issue and autocorrect excluded units. HOC will generate new reports that will accurately identify all residents requiring inspections within 12 months of their last inspection.
Effective immediately, staff will generate and review a monthly report of abatements to cancel any HAP contracts that have been in abatement for more than 30 days and assist clients in relocating to another unit. Tenants with units in abatement will receive a 60-day notice of the proposed termination, which will include a relocation packet to initiate the voucher re-issuance process. Staff will hold the termination in abeyance for 30 days if the landlord addresses the cited repairs. Additionally, the Program Manager will conduct a quality control review of 5% of the files for abated units.
Both HRD and Gilson, a third party inspection vendor, faced strain due to the high volume of backlogged and current inspections. To mitigate this, the following actions have been implemented:
-HRD and Gilson hired additional back-office staff to monitor and manage the workload.
-Gilson has cross-trained staff to handle inspection caseloads in the event of staff shortages.
-HRD has designated internal staff members to monitor abatements and ensure that re-inspections occur within the required timeframes.
These measures aim to improve efficiency and ensure timely processing of inspections.
As part of the bi-monthly quality control review, the Compliance team will include an assessment of the abatement report, identifying any units that have been in abatement for over 30 days. The Compliance team will continue to conduct bi-monthly quality control reviews, after which relevant parties will convene to discuss corrective actions and training opportunities. This interactive process aims to ensure that discrepancies are addressed and corrected effectively.
Name(s) of the contact person(s) responsible for corrective action: Lynn Hayes, Vice President of Housing Resources Division and Darcel Cox, Vice President of Compliance.
Planned completion date for corrective action plan: HRD has immediately implemented the corrective actions outlined above. The HOC compliance team will implement the additional abatement review process starting in December 2024.