Montgomery County's Housing Opportunities Commission is in an aggressive expansion mode, but an audit of their existing housing by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found 56 out of the 75 HOC units inspected did not meet HUD standards. 405 code violations were found, 89 of which were deemed so serious that HUD required them to be corrected in 24 hours. The
audit findings were first reported by the
Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County.
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Would you use this moldy
shower at an HOC unit
in Montgomery County? |
Auditors also learned that HOC was using its own contracted inspectors to inspect its units, a violation of Section 10.8 of HUD's
Housing Choice Voucher Handbook. Violations found by HUD inspectors included
missing smoke detectors, moldy and mildewed showers and ceilings, exposed sewer pipes, and an improperly-vented hot water heater that could have prevented gas from being exhausted out of the building properly. Combined with a second gas-related violation that
"could result in an explosion," the findings are particularly disturbing after the 2016 Flower Branch apartments explosion, which killed 7 people.
 |
One of two gas-venting
violations found in HOC housing
auditors said "could result in an
explosion" |
In all, auditors determined that
$44,887 in federal taxpayer money given to HOC could have been "put to better use" on housing that would comply with HUD standards, a waste of tax dollars during an affordable housing crisis. Auditors have advised HUD that it should
require HOC to reimburse HUD for the wasted funds.
 |
Exposed sewer pipe
where a toilet was removed
but never replaced |
HOC is a partner with Regency Centers in the proposed redevelopment on Westbard Avenue in Bethesda. The audit report follows the revelation earlier this week that Regency Centers
was in arrears to Montgomery County, having not paid taxes on two Westbard properties.
Once again, the Montgomery County Council has failed to perform its oversight role over the HOC.
70 comments:
The Parent's Coalition? LOL
why is MoCo even in the housing business? Well, they're in the alcohol business. Maybe Ike and Elrich should start a grocery store!
Robert, you should do an expose on the HOC. How much money goes into that boondoggle and how wisely are our tax dollars being spent. Sounds like a great idea for a local investigator.
9:19: Good to have this story aired publicly. Good for the Parents' Coalition.
This story inspires neither confidence in HOC nor enthusiasm for its role at Westbard. That said, HOC administers a budget of many millions, so the Inappropriate use of roughly $44,000 doesn't in and of itself trouble me. That's a small amount in the scheme of things. I'll be more concerned if the $44,000 proves to be the tip of an iceberg.
Yes, HOC shoukd correct the cited violations and tighten its maintenance procedures.
HOC is becoming a huge developer in this county. They are partnering with a number of private developers that do "affordable" housing and eager to use the various lucrative financial incentives provided by federal and county programs.
But to this issue of HOC not paying attention to the conditions of Section 8 voucher holders. Not ensuring quality housing is a great way to make more naturally-occurring affordable housing. Once a old apartment complex starts going down, it slides fast and becomes cheap. Poverty is then concentrated in clusters. This is the anti-inclusionary part of Montgomery County's housing policy
But there's more to this story... from the April 20 PHED Committee's review of the Department of Housing and Community Affairs' budget:
"DHCA provides Code Enforcement services to the City of Takoma Park and the
Housing Opportunities Commission."
@9.23: Montgomery County is in the housing business because the private sector, when left to its own devices, isn't producing sufficient affordable housing.
There is a tremendous shortage of affordable housing locally and nationally, and the problem of inadequate supply has worsened since the federal government shifted to a demand-side policy (Section 8) in the 1970s and later.
"Note: This audit came out one month after the Silver Spring explosion."
How come it took Janis and you ten months to report on this?
#BreakingNewsMyAss
9:40 again: Of course, very troubling that 75% of the audited HOC units did not meet HUD standards. This suggests a systemic problem that requires a procedural overhaul or perhaps a management shakeup.
How did similar government housing entities do in the HUD audit?
I miss the old Dyer, straight from the Blog Dyer
Chop up the Hans Dyer, set on his goals Dyer
I hate the new Dyer, the bad mood Dyer
The always rude Dyer, spaz in the news Dyer
I miss the sweet Dyer, shredding the metal Dyer
I gotta say, at that time I'd like to meet Dyer
See, I invented Dyer it wasn't any Dyers
And now I look and look around and there's so many Dyers
I used to love Dyer, I used to love Dyer
I even had the ponytail, I thought I was Dyer
What if Dyer made a song about Dyer
Called "I Miss The Old Dyer"? Man, that'd be so Dyer
That's all it was Dyer, we still love Dyer
And I love you like Dyer loves Dyer
"...Combined with a second gas-related violation that "could result in an explosion," the findings are particularly disturbing after the 2016 Flower Branch apartments explosion, which killed 7 people."
Wrong. The latter violation was not "gas-related". It was a pressure-relief valve on a hot water heater. That relates to water/steam, not "gas".
Looks like the vast majority of the violations were under "lighting/illumination".
Another bombshell report. Who has oversight?
@ 10:33---The Council's Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee. That's Floreen, Leventhal and Riemer
@9:55 If you got your head out of your ass you would notice that the word breaking does not appear in this post or on the Parents' Coalition post. Maybe it's time to get your head out of your ass and pay attention to how the Council oversees public dollars. You might want to start by asking your Council buddies why they have not held a hearing to discuss this report. They knew all about it.
@9:40 Read the audit. What is actually at issue is over $7 million in housing payments for inferior and dangerous housing conditions. The $44K is just a marker of the violation.
10:18: What do you think would happen if an explosion ignited on top of gas flowing into the thing that just blew up, Bill Nye?
10:32: Look at the pictures.
How fitting that the Council responsible for the deaths of 7 at Flower Branch would ignore this audit report. Just like they completely ignored the MCPS audit. Dereliction of duty. #LockThemUp
11:16AM - Interesting
Why would you think an anonymous poster should be "asking your Council buddies" when all 9:55 asked was why the 10-month delay?
Seems like a strong reaction. And a strange accusation. Hmmmm
I haven't seen any posts of cranes lately. Has Robert been keeping his crane pictures all to himself???
Mom wants me to remind you to not miss your clarinet lesson tomorrow, Robert.
Dyer @ 11:22 AM - I read the report. The greatest number of violations were for lighting/illumination.
Will the Council schedule hearings to get to the bottom of this mess?
I just realized, Dyer is reheating a news article! Great find by the Parents coalition, but just to show Dyer reheats news too. BEEP BEEP BEEP
The Lone Parent Coalition reheated it, before Dyer reheated it again. Ten months old.
Janis Sartucci, the "Parent's Coalition", is an anti-cellphone, anti-"smart meter" wacko.
@12:38 Great to know. So the HUD audit is fake. No taxpayer dollars will be used to pay back HUD for the violation of regulations by HOC. Where can we read about this fake news article being exposed?
"Anna" where was this audit reported in the Washington post? You must have seen the story, please link so the rest of us can read the post coverage. No link? hmmmmm
@12:39 Why don't you just tell us who you are "Save Westbard" rather than impersonating the real SaveWestbard? We would never write anything as inane as what you have posted.
@12:38 Where do you get that from? I looked a the site and there was nothing on either topic.
Why do Progressive Democrats hate the poor?
Oh now you've corrected the space between the words; you're just a laugh riot. #FakeNews
Ever notice when something is reported that doesn't fit the County's narrative, there are a lot of nasty personal attacks on the messenger?
Don't let "Anna" & "Elon" change the topic, because they certainly don't want to discuss the facts of this bombshell report.
Robert you might qualify for a free pizza. Says you need to be a journalist but im not sure how hard they are checking.
https://www.washingtonian.com/2017/05/25/dc-restaurant-offers-free-pizza-journalists-following-assault-guardian-reporter/
It's sad ... pathetic, really ... that you are impersonating an effective local community group to spread #FakeNews. I guess you feel threatened by us.
1:06PM ??? I made no comment about an audit.
I found it odd that 11:16 would assume that the poster@ 9:55 was buddies with the Council. Most people don't make that kind of accusation.
What my comment has to do with a WP article is something only you can answer.
Everyone has a unique tongue print, just like fingerprints.
@anna italics! I am so impressed.
You made no comment about an audit? Check the title of the article you are commenting on. It is an audit for HOC.
Ever notice Progressive Democrats hate the poor and could care less if their housing blows up?
"Body slam" LOL
@3:24 I see you have Multiple Personality Disorder "SaveWestbard from SaveWestbard." Ever notice how trolls who do absolutely nothing themselves for the poor and down-trodden like to throw-down base generalizations and stereotypes about everyone else? Was that fun for you?
Big,big news.
@3:24 That would be the stupidest comment ever. There is absolutely no attempt of any kind by anyone to address this audit. Liberals are dead silent on this audit. The Council has agreed behind closed doors to not discuss it. That is what you consider addressing poverty?
Looks like the MoCo cartel was #triggered by this HOC exposé, and Dan Reed being rejected by his own peeps on the Council for Planning Board. Hans Riemer knows the feeling.
Oh @ 2:33 Honey, *your* post is about another commenter, not the audit.
Ooops on your part. Now go back to your Republican buddies and take away the poor's HUD benefits. Remember "poverty is a state of mind" well, per HUD Secretary Carson.
May 26 1959 - The word "Frisbee" became a registered trademark of Wham-O.
A trip down Memory Lane...
http://dcist.com/2015/04/the_tale_of_the_incredible_never-en.php
I wonder how Dyer's house would fare in a HUD inspection.
Reporters can be loved or they can do journalism. They must pick one.
Dyer gets it.
"Dyer is hated, therefore he is a journalist."
This is an example of "Denying the Antecedent".
4:43: HUD inspects public housing, dumbass.
4:40: Good job bullying senior citizens who get in the way of billion dollar development firms. You seem to think that makes you talented, but actually makes you and the folks you work for look like bottom of the barrel lowlifes.
4:54: The reporters at my competitors definitely prefer to be loved.
5:04: Nope, it's an example of taking on a corrupt local government. Just like Bell, California.
Not like Bell. Not at all like Bell. Not even similar to Bell. Bell was undeniable, excess greed and corruption. Paying themselves 20x the going rate for their area. Other jurisdictions paid $5,000 a year. Head guy paid himself $100,000 and then took more perks.
We've done this before:
http://robertdyer.blogspot.com/2017/02/moco-council-got-average-of-2469-in.html?showComment=1487777809048#c8221299974696268277
5:50: Yes, like Bell. MoCo Councilmembers make $37000 *more* than your "head guy" in Bell, who is in jail. Our Council should be in jail, too. #LockThemUp
City of Bell, California - population 35,477
Montgomery County, Maryland - population 1,000,000
And they make a comparable salary for this area.
Remember in Bell CA, they worked maybe 10 hours a month.
Bell, CA -Estimated median household income in 2015: $39,217
Population in 2014: 36,217 (100% urban, 0% rural).
Population change since 2000: -1.2%
That's not at all like Montgomery County.
Uranus' orbital axis is tilted at 90 degrees
Wrong. $137,000 is nowhere near the median salary in Montgomery County.
This is Bethesda, 137,000 makes them poor Robert.
http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2014/Chevy-Chase-Named-Most-Affluent-Town-in-Country/
https://patch.com/maryland/bethesda-chevychase/cnn-ranks-bethesda-as-nations-top-earning-town
@anna [insert snippy italicized comment] Time to get off your computer and meet the Montgomery County democrats who are tired of the progressives that have destroyed the county. Start by meeting the dems who voted for term limits! There are thousands of us and we care about the funding of services for the poor, unlike you.
If you were able to have an intelligent conversation about this audit, which you obviously are not, you would realize that the funds being audited were designed to give the poor a quality of life that was livable and safe. Instead, the funds have been squandered on payouts to insiders who did not do their jobs and put the poor in dangerous and unlivable housing.
Montgomery County democrats are the ones in control and the ones that do not care if housing is dangerous, below zoning codes and unlivable. They are the ones funding housing that is in danger of exploding. Montgomery County is a national disgrace and that is on the democrats.
Now return to anonymous, childish attacks to distract from the bombshell findings in this HUD OIG Audit report that exposed how Montgomery County Democrats have abandoned the County's poor.
"Bombshell findings"
Reported 10 months after the fact.
#LaziestJournalistEver
@7:03 Thanks for immediately returning to the stupidest comments! Trump would be so proud of you for keeping the discussion level of a HUD OIG audit at the level of a 3 year old.
You continue to confirm that the priority of progressive dems is to ignore the poor and to criticize those that would make public a federal audit. By your 3 year old logic, the audit should never have been seen in Montgomery County. Obviously, you are well paid to make sure these types of documents are covered up and never see the light of day.
Your criticism logically includes The Washington Post and all of the other print and television media in the area. This blog is not the laziest by any standard. There are dozens of other paid journalists that have completely buried this HUD OIG audit of HOC of Montgomery County. What will you call those paid journalists when this audit is finally reported in the media?
6:47AM What's your issue with me? Do you like making up things about someone and accusing them of nonsense? Because you just did that to me.
I voted for term limits. I'm a republican who has been abandoned by my party. I fight for all kinds of issues. Domestic violence, feeding the poor, animal rights, the environment, child abuse, veterans rights. I worked for years approving people for Section 8 housing, auditing to be sure they weren't cheating the system and denying more needy families.
I'm not trying to distract. I'm trying to add a bit of TRUTH to the henny-pennying.
"squandered on payouts to insiders" - that is an accusation without proof.
If one wants to be taken seriously, one can't bitch so much that it dilutes the message or spout unproven accusations that makes people ignore the rest of the message.
Now, how do you think your attacks on me helps the cause?
And what's your beef with italics?
Most people notice a distinct smell in the air after it rain. That smell after rain is caused by bacteria called actinomycetes.
#UnsignedDyer is attacking his readers.
@7:03 said none of those things. You made them all up so you could BULLY a reader.
Who else is pissed off by italics?
Who else thinks they are "snippy?"
Who else calls other readers names or insults them? SAD!
6:47 = #FakeDemocrat
#FakeCommenter
#UnsignedDyer
@Anna How stupid are you? Can you not read the audit dear? Give it a try and you will not have to waste your time in the comment section on meaningless accusations. You are not fighting for anything if you can not read an audit.
Do we need to reprint the audit here so you will actually read what the findings say?
The Commission Improperly Inspected Units That It Owned
Contrary to requirements, the Commission inspected program units that it owned. Of the 7,050
units participating in its program, it owned 980 of them. Section 10.8 of HUD’s Housing Choice
Voucher Guidebook 7420.10G prohibits the Commission from inspecting units that it owns, including units owned by an entity that it controls substantially. The Commission must obtain
the services of an independent entity, approved by HUD, to perform these housing quality
standards inspections. Contrary to these requirements, the Commission inspected program units
that it owned with its contracted inspectors without obtaining and documenting HUD approval of
the contractor as an independent entity. This problem occurred because the Commission
believed that having contracted inspectors inspect the units that it owned complied with
requirements.
The Commission’s Housing Quality Standards Inspection Process Was Not Effective
Although HUD regulations at 24 CFR 982.401 and the Commission’s administrative plan
required the Commission to ensure that its program units met housing quality standards, it did
not always meet those standards. The Commission’s inspection process was not effective
because (1) its inspectors did not thoroughly inspect units, and (2) it did not properly administer
its quality control program.
• The Commission’s inspectors did not thoroughly inspect units and missed some
violations during their inspections. They did not identify unsecured junction boxes, a
missing cover on a junction box, missing railings, a broken glass patio door, missing
receptacle covers, a missing smoke detector, and a basement bedroom window that was
screwed shut. The inspectors explained that they inspected up to 15 units in an 8-hour
workday and had a difficult time completing thorough inspections due to the large
number of inspections that the Commission needed to have conducted. The
Commission’s inspection data for the period December 1, 2015, to February 29, 2016,
showed that the inspectors conducted 14 inspections per day on average.
• The Commission did not properly administer its quality control inspection program.
Regulations at 24 CFR 982.405(b) required the Commission to conduct quality control
housing quality standards inspections. The Commission’s administrative plan required it
to perform quality control inspections on the number of units required for sampling by
the Section 8 Management Assessment Program (SEMAP) annually to maintain the
Commission’s required standards and ensure consistency in the Commission’s program.
SEMAP required the Commission to perform quality control inspections on 53 units
during fiscal year 2015. The Commission provided documentation showing that it
completed quality control inspections on 53 units. However, the documentation showed
that 23 of the 53 inspections were not acceptable quality control inspections.
Specifically, 16 inspections were special inspections, 6 were conducted by a Commission
employee on units that the Commission owned, and 1 was an initial unit inspection.
According to chapter 10, section E, of the Commission’s administrative plan, special
inspections focused only on specific issues or violations that were reported by the tenant,
owner, or a third party, such a neighbor or public official. That was the case for the 16
inspections questioned. As discussed above, HUD prohibits the Commission from
inspecting units that it owns. That was the case for the 6 inspections questioned. Lastly,
an initial unit inspection is not a quality control inspection. A quality control inspection
is a reinspection of a unit focused on evaluating the performance of the inspector and an
@7:53 you wish all those dems were fake
but they showed up an voted for term limits to prove you wrong
The old BethesdaNow tactic- post anonymous crazy comments on Dyer's site and then act appalled.
You usually know Dyer has good reporting when "anonymous" tries to disrupt in the comments :)
7:59 AM
You are the worst kind of troll on this blog :)
7:53 - Why are you attacking me? I haven't said anything against the audit.
This started way up there @ 11:39 when I asked why you were bullying someone for asking why it took 10 months to report it.
Now you've taken to disparaging me for that.
So you are bullying me for being upset you were bullying someone.
Spider-Man is just another guy who ends up with sticky hands after using the web.
Dyer's anonymous shill is so rude to women. He is obviously a hobosexual.
Ok, that's really funny, 8:30AM Much needed comedic break.
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