The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has directed public housing authorities nationwide to immediately verify tenant citizenship and eligibility after a joint audit with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) found widespread irregularities in federally funded housing programs.
The review identified nearly 200,000 tenant records needing verification, including approximately 25,000 deceased individuals and close to 6,000 non-citizens deemed ineligible for housing assistance. Officials said the findings raise serious concerns about the misuse of taxpayer resources.
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Under the new directive, all Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and property owners in HUD-funded programs have 30 days to update their records or risk sanctions, including reduced or withheld funding.
“We will leave no stone unturned,” HUD Secretary Scott Turner said in a statement. “With this new directive and audit, HUD is putting new processes in place to safeguard taxpayer resources and put the American people first.”
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HUD Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing Ben Hobbs said the effort is aimed at ensuring limited housing assistance reaches qualified families. “There are hundreds of thousands of American families on housing waitlists across the country. It is essential we prioritize our limited resources to eligible families only,” Hobbs said.
The directive follows earlier guidance reminding housing authorities of their legal obligations under Section 214 of the Housing and Community Development Act and President Trump’s executive order requiring citizenship verification before admission into HUD-assisted housing.
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HUD officials stated that non-compliant agencies will face penalties, including possible recovery of funds improperly disbursed for ineligible or deceased tenants. The department emphasized that the goal of this initiative is to uphold the integrity of federal housing programs and ensure that assistance is directed exclusively to qualified households.
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