The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report in February examining HUD’s oversight and performance metrics of the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program, a program created for conversion of public housing properties. HUD is required by statute to report on private-sector leveraging for the program, but GAO finds that HUD’s private-sector performance metric counts several public resources as private-sector investment. The GAO report also finds that HUD lacks systematic processes to track the effects RAD conversions have on households. While certain safeguards, such as a tenants’ right to return to a property, are monitored by HUD, the Department has not put in place systematic review for other safeguards.
GAO makes five recommendations in the report, all of which HUD agreed with. The recommendations all relate to either improving leveraging metrics, monitoring enforcement of resident safeguards, and RAD compliance monitoring.
