Facts: After police found crack cocaine, powdered cocaine, and drug paraphernalia in a public housing unit, the Housing Authority of Covington issued a notice of eviction to the resident. The resident claimed that she had no knowledge of drugs in her apartment and had not put them there....
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is urging HUD to improve how it assesses the use of program funds by public housing agencies (PHAs). In its report, “HUD's Oversight of Housing Agencies Should Focus More on Inappropriate Use of Program Funds,” the GAO says that the...
Facts: After two resident shareholders in a cooperative housing development in Bayside, N.Y., acquired a dog, in violation of the cooperative's no-dogs policy, the development began eviction proceedings. The residents complained of discrimination, seeking to keep the dog as a...
QI was reading through the item in your April 2009 issue, “Top 10 Audit Findings in 2008” (p. 1). I noticed that #10 on the list was “Rejection letter lacks new reasonable accommodation language.” Where can I find this new...
A major new resource for funding affordable housing projects nationwide will make its debut soon. After years of debate in Washington, it appears that Congress and the Obama Administration will get the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund operational for the first time in late 2009 and 2010....
QA resident of my site recently passed away. I believe the late resident's son will try to continue to stay in the unit, but we do not want him to. How do we request that he move out? How are these situations typically handled?
Facts: The City of Joliet, Ill., condemned a subsidized multifamily complex it believed to be so run-down that it constituted a public nuisance. The owners of Evergreen Terrace went to court to stop the city's condemnation, arguing that because the complex is a Section 8 development,...
Facts: An applicant for a rental unit in Tonawanda, N.Y., alleged that a site manager denied her housing because she has a family with children. After seeing a for-rent sign outside the Sherwood Terrace Apartments, the prospective renter spoke with the site manager by telephone and made...
HUD recently sent out a reminder that as of Sept. 30, 2009, site owners and managers will need to verify Social Security Numbers (SSNs) for all prospective or current household members who declare themselves to be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or eligible noncitizen. But what about mixed...
Facts: A housing authority terminated Section 8 rental assistance after a voucher holder was involved in a violent altercation with a neighbor. Although the voucher holder had not been convicted of any crime, he had been charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault. Believing the...
Facts: A public housing resident sued the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), claiming that the agency inadequately maintained garbage facilities at her building and created hazardous conditions for residents at the garbage collection site. The resident, who claims she is disabled,...
QI have a potential applicant at my Section 202/8 site who is being informally represented by her sister. The helper-sister routinely handles most of the applicant's affairs and wants to sign application materials on her behalf. She would like to...
