HUD OIG is auditing the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). As a result of the devastation caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria during September 2017, HUD allocated almost $2 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery and Mitigation funds to USVI to help it recover from the hurricanes. Our objective is to assess USVI’s fraud risk management practices including control activities to prevent, detect, and respond to fraud while administering HUD program funds and determine if there were any improper payments related to its disaster recovery and mitigation program funds.

HUD OIG is auditing HUD programs to identify fraud risks for funds that HUD received for its Capital Fund, Disaster Recovery, and Single-Family Housing programs. Our objective is to develop three separate inventories of fraud risks that HUD has not already identified for the three programs. 

The U.S.

The U.S.

HUD OIG is auditing the State of Florida’s home rehabilitation and reconstruction program. The State has spent majority of its funds for home rehabilitation and reconstruction activities; however, it has not completed a similar percentage of expected homes. Our audit objective is to assess (1) the State’s overall program progress and outcomes including the status of the funding, the number of homes assisted, and the cost of assistance, and (2) the workmanship quality of a sample of completed homes.  

We audited the project activity status for 12 grantees that received funds under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) National Disaster Resilience (NDR) grant to determine whether the grantees have accomplished or are on track to accomplish the goals of the activities outlined in their action plans. We found that NDR grantees should be able to accomplish their program goals by leveraging deadline flexibilities that HUD offered.

HUD OIG is auditing Puerto Rico's Community Energy and Water Resilience Installations Program (CEWRI). HUD awarded Puerto Rico over $20 billion dollars in CDBG-DR funding after the impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Of the total award, $395 million was budgeted to the CEWRI program. Our objective is to determine to what extent did the CEWRI program address the energy and water system vulnerabilities of its low-and-moderate income participants.  

We reviewed the Puerto Rico Department of Housing’s (PRDOH) Electrical Power System Enhancements and Improvements programs to provide (1) background and funding information, (2) an update on the status of the programs and their progress, and (3) other relevant program information for interested stakeholders including Congress and the public. The U.S.

HUD OIG is conducting an audit of the State of South Carolina to determine whether the State has strategically planned and implemented its buyout and rehabilitation programs to maximize the resiliency and mitigate the effect of disasters on impacted communities and whether the programs are assisting qualified beneficiaries. The review will include the $456 million provided under six grants awarded between 2016 and 2021. 

We audited the Puerto Rico Housing Finance Authority’s (PRHFA) Homebuyer Assistance Program (HBA), which provides eligible applicants with closing costs and downpayment assistance for the purchase of a primary residence.  The U.S.