NCHM has talked about the importance of resident files for years, in both on-site and online training prograns and in response to eHotline questions. Housing professionals who have paid attention to my contributions in this forum know that I always emphasize that our files “must tell a complete story.” They are an important part of the financial lifeblood for owners/agents and public housing authorities.
We have also emphasized the importance of maintaining resident files in a secure environment as befits the confidential nature of the information contained within them.
Recently, two audits by HUD’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) put a spotlight on this issue. The following is from a press release issued by the OIG on September 29th:
“The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General audited the Helena, MT Housing Authority in response to a hotline complaint alleging a former employee of the housing authority improperly released housing choice voucher holders’ personally identifiable information. The objective of our review was to determine whether the allegation had merit.
A former Authority employee did improperly release personally identifiable information outside the Authority. The employee sent at least seven emails containing housing choice voucher holders’ personally identifiable information, including Social Security numbers and other personal information such as household income, to the employee’s personal email address and the work email address of a friend who worked for one of the Authority’s contractors.”
A few weeks earlier, a similar HUD-OIG audit involving a management company in Alabama found that, among other issues, HUD forms were not always signed and dated by residents, and assessed a six figure penalty against the Owner/Agent.
HUD compliance functions often involve the cooperation of residents, and these residents have every right to expect that we will protect sensitive and confidential information they disclose to us. Our actions as professionals on the job must inspire both their trust and confidence.