JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has uncovered significant fraud in the Housing of People with AIDS (HOPWA) Short-Term Rent, Mortgage, and Utility Assistance (STRMU) program, with $366,335.77 disbursed to recipients who exceeded the program’s 21-week assistance limit without proper documentation.
An employee from the City’s Neighborhoods Department reported that some applicants were abusing the application process to obtain more funds than entitled to.
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The OIG’s review found that 65 recipients exceeded the program’s maximum assistance duration without documentation of a waiver, and 55 of these recipients submitted incorrect information regarding their prior receipt of STRMU HOPWA assistance within the past 12 months.
The funds for the HOPWA STRMU program are provided by a HUD grant and distributed through a network of local not-for-profit organizations, known as sub-recipients, each with its own application process.
The analysis revealed that if assistance had been limited to 21 weeks, the applicants would have received only $218,493.88 based on their average weekly disbursement, indicating that excess payments amounted to over $116,000.
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The OIG has offered recommendations to improve the application process, although specific recommendations were not detailed in the report.
The OIG encourages the public to report any cases of fraud, waste, and abuse to promote transparency and accountability.
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