We audited the City of Bridgeport CT’s HOME Investment Partnerships program based on an Office of Inspector General risk assessment, which ranked the City as the second highest risk HOME grantee in New England. The objective of the audit was to determine whether the City properly committed and disbursed HOME funds in accordance with Federal and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rules and regulations.City officials did not properly administer their HOME program. Specifically, they did not properly commit and disburse HOME funds in accordance with Federal and HUD rules and regulations. They did not ensure that they (1) met the commitment deadline for their community housing development organizations’ (CHDO) funds, (2) properly documented and supported their underwriting of activities, (3) complied with environmental review requirements, (4) disbursed funds in accordance with program requirements, (5) maintained adequate support to ensure tenant eligibility and compliance with HOME rental limits, and (6) supported their administrative fees. These deficiencies occurred because City officials did not establish adequate written underwriting policies and procedures, were not aware of HUD and Federal requirements, and had poor record-keeping practices. Further, the City’s HOME policies and procedures were outdated. As a result, they incurred $422,768 in ineligible costs and more than $3.2 million in unsupported costs, and $741,698 in unspent HOME funds will need to be reallocated to eligible activities.We recommend that the Director of HUD’s Hartford Office of Community Planning and Development require City officials to (1) repay $422,768 in ineligible costs related to the City’s failure to meet commitment deadlines and complete activities in accordance with the HOME agreement and HOME regulations; (2) support that more than $3.2 million was reasonable and supported, or repay the funds, (3) reallocate $741,698 in unspent funds to ensure they will be put to their intended use; and (4) develop and implement adequate and updated HOME policies and procedures and tools to improve record-keeping practices.
| Report Date | Agency Reviewed / Investigated | Report Title | Type | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | The City of Bridgeport, CT, Did Not Properly Administer Its HOME Program | Audit | Agency-Wide | View Report | |
| U.S. Agency for International Development | Financial Audit of Costs Incurred by ICF Macro, Inc., Under the Demographic and Health Surveys in Afghanistan, Contract AID-OAA-C-13-00095, January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2017 | Other |
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View Report | |
| Department of State | Management Assistance Report: Results of 2014 Audit of Bureau of Diplomatic Security Worldwide Protective Services Contract Task Orders 2, 9, and 11 | Audit | Agency-Wide | View Report | |
| Internal Revenue Service | Improvements in Return Scoring and Resource Allocation at the Strategic Level Could Enhance Examination Productivity | Audit | Agency-Wide | View Report | |
| U.S. Agency for International Development | Closeout Audit of Fund Accountability Statement of USAID Resources Managed by Palestinian Peace Coalition, Under Enriching the Dialogue for Peace Program in West Bank and Gaza, Cooperative Agreement AID-294-A-15-00008, for the Year Ended 2017 | Other |
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View Report | |
| U.S. Agency for International Development | Cost Representation Statement Audit of Finit Consulting d.o.o, Fiscal Sector Reform Activity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Contract AID-168-C-14-00001, January 1, to December 31, 2017 | Other |
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View Report | |
| U.S. Agency for International Development | Financial Audit of Locally Incurred Costs of USAID Resources Managed by RTI International in Kenya Under Multiple Awards, August 1, 2014, to December 31, 2017 | Other |
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View Report | |
| Appalachian Regional Commission | Southwest PA Corporation | Audit |
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View Report | |
| U.S. Agency for Global Media (f/k/a Broadcasting Board of Governors) | Targeted Inspection of the Governance of the United States Agency for Global Media | Inspection / Evaluation | Agency-Wide | View Report | |
| Department of State | Inspection of Embassy Bogota, Colombia | Inspection / Evaluation | Agency-Wide | View Report | |
