U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
New York/New Jersey Office
Jacob K. Javits Federal Building
26 Federal Plaza – Room 3430
New York, NY 10278-0068
MEMORANDUM NO:
2006-NY-1801
May 19, 2006
MEMORANDUM FOR: Joan K. Spilman, Director, Public Housing Division, 2CPH
FROM: Edgar Moore, Regional Inspector General for Audit, 2AGA
SUBJECT: Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program
Rochester Housing Authority
Rochester, New York
INTRODUCTION
We completed an audit survey of the Rochester Housing Authority’s (Authority) Section 8
Housing Choice Voucher program. The review focused on the Authority’s management controls
and procedures regarding the administration of its Section 8 program. The objectives of our
review were to determine whether the Authority’s (1) admission policies complied with U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements, (2) initial application and
recertification information was properly verified, (3) rental assistance payments were calculated
properly, and (4) units met housing quality standards.
Our review disclosed that additional audit coverage is not warranted.
METHODOLOGY AND SCOPE
We performed our on-site work at the Authority and the HUD Buffalo field office. The review
covered the period between October 1, 2003, and February 28, 2006. Our on-site survey work
was conducted between February and April 2006.
To accomplish our objectives, we interviewed members of HUD’s staff and employees of the
Authority. We reviewed applicable HUD regulations and program records maintained at HUD
and at the Authority. We statistically sampled 20 tenant files for our review of various housing
authority files and documents including the audited financial statements, minutes from board
meetings, and HUD correspondence. In addition, we evaluated the Authority’s internal controls
and conducted inspections on a sample of five units to determine compliance with housing
quality standards.
Memorandum
BACKGROUND
The Authority has 31 public housing developments with 2,495 total units. In addition, it
administers a Section 8 program consisting of 7,056 vouchers. The Authority has been
authorized almost $23.8 million for its Section 8 program, of which more than $18.4 million was
disbursed during fiscal year 2006. The Section 8 program’s waiting list consists of 1,835
applicants.
RESULTS OF REVIEW
The results of our review show that the Authority is generally administering its Section 8
Housing Choice Voucher program in accordance with program requirements. We found that for
the items tested, the Authority’s admission policies complied with HUD requirements, its initial
application and recertification information was properly verified, rental assistance payment
calculations were accurate and supported by the information in the files, and units tested met
HUD’s housing quality standards.
Should you or your staff have any questions, please contact Karen Campbell, Assistant Regional
Inspector General for Audit, at (212) 542-7977.
Page 2
Rochester Housing Authority's Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, Rochester, New York
Published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General on 2006-05-19.
Below is a raw (and likely hideous) rendition of the original report. (PDF)