US Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat from Georgia, is advocating for a federal investigation into the living conditions at Section 8 apartment complexes, along with the agency’s oversight of these properties.
Ossoff has proposed that the Office of the Inspector General for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) scrutinize properties that receive inspection scores deemed “close-to-failing.” These scores, according to HUD’s Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC), fall between 60 and 70 out of a possible 100, with any score below 60 classified as failing.
This initiative gained bipartisan support last month from the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee and is now awaiting a full Senate vote as part of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bill.
Included in Ossoff’s amendment is a request for HUD’s Inspector General to also evaluate how well the agency manages and oversees inspections, and to assess how recent staffing cuts and contract cancellations have impacted oversight of these properties.
Housing advocates in Atlanta strongly believe that a thorough audit of HUD’s inspection methods for Section 8 housing is crucial. They argue that current inspection practices have repeatedly failed to address the pressing issues tenants face, such as mold, pest infestations, and malfunctioning utilities.
Critically, advocates warn that staffing reductions during the Trump administration have played a significant role in exacerbating these problems. Ray Jones, the state coordinator for the American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) Advocacy Foundation, articulated the potential challenges Ossoff may face in garnering enough support from the Senate.
“It sounds good on paper,” Jones stated, “but [Ossoff] still needs to get support from the full Senate.”
Even if Ossoff’s proposal secures approval in the Senate, it would still require passage in the House of Representatives, leading to further uncertainty.
Jones emphasized concerns about how such an audit might miss problematic properties that HUD continues to rate positively. He pointed to Woodland Heights apartments, a severely deteriorated Section 8 complex located on Atlanta’s Westside, which received passing scores of 96 and 81 from REAC inspections, despite its dire state.
“There’s obviously something fishy going on with a property like Woodland Heights, which is 100% HUD subsidized,” stated Matthew Nursey, an organizer and policy advocate with the Housing Justice League. “Why would it have such high scores? It’s in such disrepair.”
Bambie Hayes-Brown, CEO of Georgia Advancing Communities Together, echoed concerns regarding HUD’s inspection accuracy. Referring to her previous experience at the DeKalb County Housing Authority, Hayes-Brown noted that inspections often consisted of only spot checks on select properties.
“The inspection process must be comprehensive, not cherry-picked,” she emphasized.
Despite the need for more thorough inspections, Hayes-Brown expressed skepticism regarding HUD’s capacity to conduct them effectively, citing the lack of manpower as a significant obstacle.
“I don’t think they have the resources,” she said.
Nursey added that a probe into HUD’s Section 8 oversight is likely to underscore the necessity for more inclusive inspections that consider the condition of every unit within HUD-subsidized properties.
Nevertheless, he cautioned about the current political climate, particularly in light of ongoing threats from the Trump administration to cut Section 8 funding and reduce HUD’s workforce by half.
“I’m cautiously optimistic,” he concluded.
image source from：atlantaciviccircle
