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The New Albany Housing Authority (NAHA) recently decided to use bedbug-sniffing canines to inspect every public housing site in New Albany, IN. The canines searched through common areas and bedrooms in an attempt to detect bed bugs.

The Worcester Housing Authority (WHA) in Massachusetts has identified nearly $1.6 million in fraud over the past five years—from residents reporting false income, landlords lying about tenant occupancy, and people living in housing without the public housing agency's knowledge, for example.

HUD recently declared the San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA) a “troubled” agency and dispatched agents to review the agency’s finances and management failures. The team of experts from HUD began on Jan. 7 to review SFHA’s books. The decision to downgrade the agency came in an Oct. 31 letter to the city’s Housing Authority Board, with a copy to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.

Federal attorneys successfully prosecuted a man in Burlington, Vermont, for lying about his income to receive rental subsidies. He has been sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $18,000 in restitution.

Court records said that the man received rental assistance payments from 2007 to 2011 through the Vermont State Housing Authority program funded by HUD because he said he had no income. But the U.S. attorney's office said from November 2009 through 2011, the individual was employed and receiving a salary. 

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan recently announced that public housing agencies in Columbus, Ga.; Fairfax, Va.; Holyoke, Mass.; and Reno, Nev. have been selected to participate in HUD’s Moving to Work (MTW) program.

The stock market has been volatile this past year. And as 2012 comes to an end, some of your residents may be assessing their portfolios. Some may have experienced significant reductions in the value of their stock portfolio and may be asking for interim recertifications. Others may have had the benefit of a positive swing in their portfolio's value or are enjoying more household income from dividends that cash-rich companies have increased as they've become more confident in the economy.

The New Jersey Supreme Court is once again reviewing affordable housing. At a hearing on Nov. 14, the question revolved around how well the policy that sprung from some of its landmark rulings in the 1970s and 80s has held up.

HUD inspectors recently searched the offices of Kenner Housing Authority in Kenner, La., to investigate allegations of mismanagement and financial wrongdoing. According to HUD Regional Director Justin Ormsby, investigators came in quickly to correct any wrongdoings immediately, rather than have the investigation drag out for six months. They are investigating allegations that led to its being deemed a troubled agency.

Seventeen communities across the country have been selected to receive Choice Neighborhoods planning grants. The $4.95 million awarded will help the communities craft comprehensive, community-driven plans to revitalize public or other HUD-assisted housing and transform distressed neighborhoods.