HUD BACKS COUNTY COMMISSION CHAIRMAN'S PLAN FOR A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF MIAMI-DADE HOUSING AGENCY

WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development applauds the efforts of Miami-Dade County Commission Chairman Joe Martinez to create a special taskforce to conduct a complete review of the business practices of the troubled Miami-Dade Housing Agency.

"We encourage local initiatives when problems like this emerge," said HUD's Assistant Secretary Orlando Cabrera, who heads up the Office of Public and Indian Housing. "We look forward to partnering with Chairman Martinez and the Affordable Housing Ad Hoc Committee to uncover any wrongdoing and to recover lost funding so that residents of Miami-Dade's public housing are not adversely affected."

A recent series in The Miami-Herald regarding the Miami-Dade Housing Agency (MDHA) highlighted allegations of mismanagement of public funds by the housing agency. Some of the funding include a $35 million HOPE VI grant MDHA received from HUD in 1999. In January, HUD made it known to MDHA that the foot-dragging on this project had gone too far and that recapture of the remaining funds would be the next step. In light of the latest developments, HUD is sending in a team of forensic analysts to ensure HUD funding has been properly spent.

"Chairman Martinez is committed to improve the transparency and integrity of the process in order to better serve its citizens," said Cabrera. "HUD stands with him in this commitment."

HUD's Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) is responsible for managing and administering a range of programs, including the two largest federal rental assistance programs - public housing and the Housing Choice Voucher Program, formerly known as Section 8. Combined, the programs serve more than 3.2 million low-income families in the U.S. PIH monitors the operations of the nation's approximately 3,400 public housing authorities and manages the Office of Native American Programs, which is responsible for the implementation and administration of all HUD programs that are specific to Native American housing and economic development. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet and espanol.hud.gov.

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