Miami-Dade Housing Agency Returns to Local Control

After 15 months of making improvements to the Miami-Dade Housing Agency (MDHA), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Affairs (HUD) has returned control of the agency to Miami-Dade County.

In a settlement agreement made in August 2008, HUD identified three priorities MDHA had to address before the agency would be returned. Over a four-month period, HUD and the County focused on instituting financial and accounting controls; reorganization of its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program; and jumpstarting the redevelopment of a public housing development.

Through HUD-funded financial contract support, MDHA has financial books and records that conform to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and HUD requirements. In addition, the county and HUD worked to outsource MDHA’s HCV program for two years. In the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which was negotiated between HUD and the County and approved by the Board of Commissioners, MDHA will accomplish specific tasks and objectives with HUD providing oversight. The MOU, which is for a term of two years, includes tasks to continue progress in the redevelopment of an affordable housing site: to ensure proper and effective administration for HCV programs; and increase performance, capacity, and efficiency of MDHA’s finance division.