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HUD requested a meeting

Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: City Manager
Forum Description: Discuss the city manager administration including all city departments.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3233
Printed Date: Jun 01 2024 at 8:34pm


Topic: HUD requested a meeting
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Subject: HUD requested a meeting
Date Posted: Aug 22 2010 at 6:56am
Weekly Update to City Council from the City Manager August 16, 2010

     HUD requested a meeting last week with the Mayor, Doug Adkins and I. We met with staff members from three different offices (Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati) of HUD regarding our Section 8 program. They expressed concern about our Section 8 report and inquired about our intention of reducing the program and number of vouchers. We reviewed with them the reasons for our dissatisfaction with our current program and our desire to improve our program. Obviously, HUD’s mission is to provide housing assistance for those in need. As such, they stated that they would like to add 100,000 vouchers nationwide and will be looking to the top 200 performing agencies (in which we are included) to help them accomplish this mission. While we made it clear that we were not interested in adding any new vouchers, we also asked for their assistance in ensuring that our current program is top quality. They agreed that they would work with us.



Replies:
Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: Aug 22 2010 at 7:13am

Sounds like no reduction anytime soon.

Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: Aug 22 2010 at 9:05am

How can HUD claim Middeltown is doing a fine job with section 8 when code violations are at an all time high ??

Anyone driven through the section 8 neighborhoods lately ? Violations galore !!!!
 
 

Posted By: Nelson Self
Date Posted: Aug 22 2010 at 9:47am
Transparent and accountable municipal government is desperately needed here!

Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Aug 22 2010 at 9:51am
Hermes
HUD has not stated that Middletown is doing a fine job with Section 8.
It is not the Section 8 housing units that are the majority of the code violations in Middletown.

HUD Response Letter to the City of Middletown
Dated: July 16, 2010
Pages 4-5

      The housing and neighborhood conditions identified in the City’s analysis are real. Blaming the voucher program for these conditions however, is, in the words of former HUD Secretary Dr. Robert C. Weaver referring to claims about the public housing program, “like blaming the doctor for the disease.” The City has several tools available to address its obsolete housing stock and concentration of poverty. A well administered housing choice voucher program in conjunction with a targeted Neighborhood Stabilization Program and Community Development Block Grant funding can certainly help revitalize neighborhoods and help the City meet its long term goals. The Department has many resources to assist the City in meeting its goals to work with City staff to develop and design programs that are consistent with HUD rules and regulations and in the best interest of the City.

Posted By: Nelson Self
Date Posted: Aug 22 2010 at 10:00am
Transparent and accountable government is needed in Middletown.

Posted By: Nelson Self
Date Posted: Aug 22 2010 at 10:06am
Middletown needs open, honest and effective government.

Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: Aug 22 2010 at 12:15pm
Thanks Vivian I misinterpreted that Middeltown was in the top 200 performing agencies as meaning they were doing a good job.
 
I would assume that since the city has "redirected" funds that they do not feel comfortable about enforcing or following up on code violations since the dollars are no longer available to help home owners. Would this be a correct or incorrect assumption ? 

Posted By: warmandfuzzy
Date Posted: Aug 22 2010 at 12:54pm
Originally posted by Nelson Self Nelson Self wrote:

Neighborhood Revitalization Department Staff -
 
In the words of HUD, how can you properly address critical neighborhood housing and Section 8 problems when you:  a)  siphon off hundreds of thousands of NSP-1 dollars for downtown commercial pet projects; b) extravagantly wasting valuable NSP-1 dollars for Ward 3 vacant, foreclosed residential purchase/rehab/resale boondoggles costing up to $230,000.
 
Thanks so much Miss Vivian for your investigative reporting.  Your information is proving that many past posts made by some of us over the past 15 months are right on target.
Just curious Mr.Self, What ward 3 property would you be referring to in the statement above?

Thanks!

Posted By: Nelson Self
Date Posted: Aug 22 2010 at 3:10pm
Warm & Fuzzy -
 
The application for $2.144 Million in NSP-1 funds was sent by City staff to the HUD Columbus Field Office in November 2008.  One of the principal project activities involved the City's plans to acquire, rehab and resell twenty (20) vacant, foreclosed homes.
 
The most recent July 30, 2010 progress report from City staff shows that only eight (8) properties have been acquired over the past sixteen (16) months.  It also notes that less than only $900,000 of the $2,144,000+ NSP-1 funds have been spent to date.
 
In response to your question, the following eight (8) residential properties had been acquired through July 30, 2010.  They are:
 
2605 Elmo
1016 Gage
2210 Arlington
221 Harrison
915 Malvern
100 Red Bud
3523 Jewell
1104 Fourteenth
 
The most expensive of these properties (acquisition and rehab) are located in Ward 3.  One is nearly $230,000 in project expenditures!  I call this an arrogant and extravagant use of our Federal tax dollars.

Posted By: warmandfuzzy
Date Posted: Aug 22 2010 at 5:27pm
Thank you Mr. Self. I appreciate your response to my question.

Posted By: Storm Ahead
Date Posted: Aug 27 2010 at 1:14pm
Originally posted by Nelson Self Nelson Self wrote:

Warm & Fuzzy -
 
The application for $2.144 Million in NSP-1 funds was sent by City staff to the HUD Columbus Field Office in November 2008.  One of the principal project activities involved the City's plans to acquire, rehab and resell twenty (20) vacant, foreclosed homes.
 
The most recent July 30, 2010 progress report from City staff shows that only eight (8) properties have been acquired over the past sixteen (16) months.  It also notes that less than only $900,000 of the $2,144,000+ NSP-1 funds have been spent to date.
 
In response to your question, the following eight (8) residential properties had been acquired through July 30, 2010.  They are:
 
2605 Elmo
1016 Gage
2210 Arlington
221 Harrison
915 Malvern
100 Red Bud
3523 Jewell
1104 Fourteenth
 
The most expensive of these properties (acquisition and rehab) are located in Ward 3.  One is nearly $230,000 in project expenditures!  I call this an arrogant and extravagant use of our Federal tax dollars.
 
Soooooo Mr. Self, what is the fair market value of the home that $230,000 is being spent on? Is that money recovered and able to be used again for future projects or is it spent and gone forever? Teach me sir.


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Stormy

Posted By: angelababy
Date Posted: Oct 27 2010 at 2:19am
Anyone driven through the section 8 neighborhoods lately ? Violations galore !!!!

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