HUD Cites CHRA for Poor Management

According to a recently issued HUD report, poor financial oversight, failures to collect on rent, and inadequate internal and budgetary controls leave the Charlottesville Housing and Redevelopment Authority (CHRA) in Charlottesville, Va., vulnerable as federal money dwindles. The agency gave CHRA the local authority 30 days, or until the end of the month, to provide written responses to nine findings of serious violations of statute, regulations, or practice.    

While the authority remains "fiscally sound," it finished fiscal year 2012 in the red, according to the HUD report. Revenues plunged to $5.1 million from $6.9 million the preceding year, a decrease of more than a fourth. Expenses remained relatively level at $6 million in fiscal year 2012.

The report cited a litany of problems plaguing the agency that manages 376 local public housing units. Among the concerns HUD cited: inexperienced and under-trained staff, overcharging some residents and undercharging others for rent, failing to collect unpaid rent, and an ineffective occupancy policy. Among the authority's failings is inadequate tracking of income, especially zero-income families, and the absence of an admissions and continued occupancy policy, the report said. That leaves staff unable to properly enforce public housing rules, risks inconsistent rule enforcement, and causes mistakes, HUD said.

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