LET’S CLEAN HOUSE! – with Housing Programs:

ere          Austinites Lobbying for Municipal Accountability (A.L.M.A.) requests an investigation into the City of Austin's Affordable Housing Programs.

    I.      Introduction:   A.L.M.A. launched The Accountability Project – for Affordable Housing Programs, after a number of complaints from clients of the City of Austin's (CoA) home improvement and home purchase loan programs were filed with A.L.M.A. 

    Client complaints centered on a common issue that appeared to reflect a pattern of practice.  That common complaint is the alleged mismanagement of certain housing programs (including complaints of project delays/abandonments, being pressured to sign documents prematurely, and to sign for payment even when CoA contractors did not complete the work or inspectors had not passed work; questions of fiscal/accounting; warranty issues neglected; and a general lack of enforceability of CoA contractors by the CoA).  A.L.M.A. is concerned with how the people who participate in these programs are/were affected; and whether their homes are safe to live in.

      II.         Our Questions relate to the management of certain affordable housing programs, including possible criminal allegations (i.e. forgery and un-accounted for Federal Funds):

1)    general practices enacted by program managers & other public officials i.e.:

a.      are contractual & H.U.D. guidelines consistently followed?

b.     have program participants’ rights been violated?

c.      have fiduciary duties been fulfilled or misused?

d.      are contractor violations and poor workmanship consistently reported & penalties enforced?

e.      Verity of Recordkeeping and Evaluation Reports:

·       loan repayments, application of funds and other financial reports;

·       contractor evaluations and contractor re-qualification applications;

·       project status & completion reports;

·       project delays &/or abandoned projects;

2)    Does management follow through with what it represented it would do?

3)    Accountability of:    Program Managers; Program Contractors; Public Officials

4)    how effectively are our tax dollars being applied? … and WHO is benefiting?

5)    what is the end result for certain program participants and their homes?

6)    Do the City and/or the program managers maintain their obligatory stance of neutrality; OR is preferential and protective treatment given to certain contractors?

        III.         A.L.M.A. aims to keep homes & families safe from misuse of power and shoddy building practices by holding its public officials accountable.

         IV.         A.L.M.A.’s goal with The Accountability Project is:

1)    To hold Public Officials and programs Accountable;

2)    maintain &/or restore ethical & exemplary management practices of these housing programs;

 3)    Develop and implement a plan that will:

a.     safeguard from potential mismanagement in the future.

b.    provide realistic, effective and responsive avenues for participants to enforce accountability & restore equitable treatment.

c.     protect participants rights via writing and implementing more equitable contracts on behalf of the participant.

 4)    Acquire a thorough investigation by a neutral & objective party. As part of the Investigation, A.L.M.A. requests that:

a.      ALL program participants dating at least as far back as 1990, be notified of the pending investigation, and that they ALL be given the opportunity to provide comments, free from the fear of retaliation.

b.     ALL program participants are allowed to formally question the manner in which the status of their projects were reported.

c.      The application of funds for each project be thoroughly traced; and determine whether its legitimacy is disputed by the participant.

d.      If participants no longer own the property that was the subject of the program, determine WHY.

e.      Review the number of foreclosures & vacant lots; how many are owned by the City; how many were sold; and WHAT circumstances prompted the foreclosures, sales, vacant lots, or municipal ownership – contact the previous program participants to get their side of.

f.  Reinspect any former clients' homes (who request it) , in order to assure that CoA's repairs and construction were done to code; to assure the safety and habitability of these homes for its inhabitants; and to assure that the homes are free from any environmental, toxic, and structural hazards that may have resulted from CoA's housing programs.

g.  Repair / Remediate any discovery of shoddy workmanship, substandard repairs, environmental pollutants and other hazards that may have resulted from one of CoA's housing programs -- ASSURE THE SAFETY OF THESE PEOPLE AND THEIR HOMES.

A.L.M.A. welcomes your support in helping to maintain and restore accountability. We hope that The Accountability Project will provide relief for those people who’ve endured the affects of any mismanagement; as well as provide assurance and protection for those people who will inevitably participate in housing programs in the future.

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