In late January the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ordered public housing authorities on to conduct immediate citizenship verification” for all tenants in HUD-Funded Housing Nationwide. According to their release, HUD discovered nearly 200k tenants requiring eligibility verification, nearly 25k,deceased tenants, and nearly 6k,ineligible non-American tenants. Below are excerpts of that release:
HUD announced that all Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and owners participating in HUD-funded housing have 30 days to take corrective action to address these findings.
“We will leave no stone unturned,” said Secretary Scott Turner. “We are proud to collaborate with DHS to execute on the President’s agenda of rooting out abuse of taxpayer funded resources. Ineligible non-citizens have no place to receive welfare benefits. With this new directive and audit, HUD is putting new processes in place to safeguard taxpayer resources and put the American people first.”
Within the next 30 days, PHAs and owners must review their EIV-SAVE Tenant Match Report, verify that they have accurately reported individuals’ citizenship or immigration status to determine eligibility, and initiate corrective actions. PHAs and owners who fail to comply with the established requirements will be subject to sanctions. HUD will recapture funding for payments made on behalf of ineligible and deceased tenants.
Click here to read the full release a HUD.
