HUD assesses Housing Authority performance

Amidst concern over both the performance and financial dealings of the New Haven Housing Authority, Mayor John DeStefano, Jr., and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Henry Cisernos announced on Fri., Nov. 1, that a team of HUD evaluators would be sent into New Haven to assess the effectiveness of the agency.

The announcement was made at a press conference given by DeStefano and representatives from HUD's Hartford office.

While the original plan for the assessment was solely a financial audit, it was ultimately agreed upon by both parties that a more comprehensive evaluation of the Housing Authority was in order.

A backlog of maintenance requests, multiple tenant complaints, and most importantly, concerns over severe fiscal mismanagement, are at the heart of the probe into the troubled HousingAuthority.

The assessment, which will review tenant relations, staffing issues, maintenance, and financial operations, will identify weaknesses in the present-day operation of the Authority, outline specific steps to address and remedy these problem areas, and set out initiatives directed at faults not covered by the assessment.

The findings of the assessment could lead to modifications in the operations of the agency, a replacement of the current board of commissioners, or, if management problems are weighed to be serious enough, a full takeover by HUD.

According to DeStefano's Press Secretary, Catherine Sullivan-DeCarlo, the HUD team will hopefully commence the assessment by the end of November and present a full report by the end of the year.

The New Haven Housing Authority, the city's sole supplier of public housing, and Connecticut's largest public housing authority, is funded almost entirely by the federal government. While DeStefano is responsible for appointing the Authority's board of commissioners, the agency, for the most part, operates autonomously from city government under HUD supervision.

The lack of city government control over the Housing Authority has created considerable problems when coordination between important city programs like the recent Livable City Initiative

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(DeCarlo highlighted a possible contradiction inherent in the system since it is DeStefano who has a stronger connection with New Haven residents who live in the Authority's 3,800 units.

"[Mayor DeStefano] is usually the first person to hear complaints from housing tenants, but the city doesn't oversee the units," Sullivan-DeCarlo said.

While DeStefano's relationship with Authority's board of commissioners is cooperative, and while the two entities are in constant communication, the fact remains that the city's ability to regulate the Authority is extremely limited.

Both sides are hopeful that the assessment will help bridge the gap between the Authority and the city, and provide concrete steps to improving the operations of the agency and the services it provides to its residents.