A report released last month by the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offered scathing criticism of the city’s handling of money intended to help low and moderate income residents and to eliminate slums or blight.
Auditors found that the city could not justify nearly $2.5 million of the $4 million in Community Development Block Grant money it spent. More than a decade after beginning projects for which it received federal money, Norfolk had failed to complete them. HUD auditors found that the city “generally failed to justify its program activities” and “could not demonstrate that any of the activities… had benefited low and moderate income persons or eliminated slums or blight.”
The inspector general blamed the lapses on poor record keeping and planning. HUD told the city to find documentation or repay the money and recommended developing plans to complete projects, avoid delays and improve record keeping.
Read more: PilotOnLine.com, January 5, 2014