WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Serious allegations of collusion and corruption are aimed at a D.C. agency meant to house the most vulnerable D.C. residents. WUSA9 continues to dig into a scathing federal audit by the Department of Housing and Urban Development which revealed systemic failures in the DC Housing Authority.
Failures like filthy and unsafe conditions were exposed in our investigation months ago.
Now, the DC Attorney General is calling for a complete overhaul of the agency. Much of DC’s public housing sits on very desirable properties for developers in gentrified areas of the city. Greenleaf, for example, is slated for redevelopment following DCHA's new build-in-place model. The development sits in Southwest just across from Nats Park. That’s why critics, including AG Karl Racine, said DCHA is far more concerned about redevelopment than maintaining clean and safe public housing.
“They are the city’s largest slumlord,” said AG Racine.
The Attorney General had strong words for DCHA. His officer sued the agency twice, in one case alleging disabled residents have been waiting years to be moved to accessible units.
“The failures are inhumane and require immediate action,” he said.
Now we know why folks have been left in limbo. A scathing federal audit describes systemic failures; an agency so mismanaged tenant files were not updated, waiting lists were locked, while others sat untouched for a decade. And those living inside public housing are left to raise families in apartments overrun by bugs, mice, mold and rats.
“I’m convinced they want us to live like this,” Courtney Mills told WUSA9 when we visited Potomac Gardens in May.
“We are in very big trouble,” said Daniel del Pielago an organizing director with Empower DC, “But once again, it should not fall on the shoulders of residents who are already suffering.”
Advocates with Empower DC said the audit confirmed what residents have long feared and what many saw play out at Barry Farm. The long-neglected housing units in Southeast were left in such disrepair the city deemed it unsafe for residents to live in releasing results of a 20-year-old inspection that found dangerous levels of lead paint throughout the homes.
At the time, DCHA leadership could not explain the oversight and why families were not told of the lead or why it was not remediated decades earlier. By 2019, 444 people were relocated.
When District leaders recently broke ground on a new senior housing development at Barry Farm, they said only 77 units will be set aside for original tenants. Developers promise to fast-track more housing in the years to come.
“I don't think it's far-fetched to think that, you know, there is collusion happening between developers and our local government to turn over land to at some point to be developed,” said del Pielago.
Auditors also found the 12-member board of commissioners is untrained and uninformed, often voting through resolutions in “block” without individual debate or review.
“All they do is say yes,” said del Pielago.
The Attorney General said the six mayoral appointees including the Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic Development John Falcicchio represent a conflict of interest.
“D.C. has the highest level of displacement in the country, and I would posit to you that is not unintentional,” said Racine. “That is exactly what residents are telling you and that is part of the District government’s plan. That group that the mayor, Mayor Bowser, put in charge is the group responsible for the abject failure revealed in the HUD report.”
Racine is calling on immediate changes and more accountability by the Council.
“The oversight head is Anita Bonds she obviously hasn’t been doing her job and DC residents have suffered!” said Racine.
WUSA9 reached out to Councilmember At-Large Anita Bonds, who is running for re-election. Councilmember Bonds sent us this statement:
“First, let me say that I am disappointed in the approach the Attorney General is taking here. The HUD Assessment highlights very serious issues for the city and our residents, and our focus should be on addressing those issues. I am the Councilmember who pushed for the use of local dollars to improve our public housing units, and that money has helped to modernize and update the units in DCHA’s portfolio. No other large jurisdiction in the country invests as much as we do into public housing, and I pushed for that investment. Given the amount of money that DC invests in DCHA, their utter failures are appalling and unacceptable.
Moreover, I can only provide oversight when information is provided to the Council. This assessment is the first HUD analysis on DCHA’s performance that I have seen during my tenure as Chair of the Committee on Housing. Many of the issues highlighted in the assessment involve DCHA’s failure to follow the federal guidelines and policies regarding modernization, reporting, and procurement. These are not issues of which I would be aware without information provided by HUD or the Authority. I am extremely saddened to learn of the systemic failures of DCHA to follow HUD policies and procedures, and now that I have a copy of the report, I am moving forward and will be proposing extensive changes to the structure, governance, and operations of the agency.”
WUSA9 also reached out to the mayor’s office about the allegations her appointees represent a conflict on the board. We are still waiting to hear back.
WUSA9 did receive a response from DCHA Executive Director Brenda Donald who sent us this statement:
“The assessment report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) uncovers cumulative problems resulting from years of management neglect at the agency. These problems didn’t materialize overnight and now that I am here with a strong team in place, we are going to fix the problems. But they can’t be fixed overnight.
Our accomplishments since I took the helm include stabilizing the budget, eliminating a historical deficit, negotiating outdated labor contracts, and making a dent in an enormous backlog of work orders spanning several years. We’ve moved forward with several long-delayed capital projects including the Kenilworth Courts, Greenleaf and Barry Farm redevelopments.
While leading through a crisis is challenging, we are focused on our transformation, and we are confident we will rebuild. We have 60 days to respond to HUD with a corrective action plan and six months to implement it. We invite you to watch us work! You can stay updated as we make progress by visiting our website: www.dchousing.org"