Housing board chairwoman responds to federal review; critic angry
The Homestead Housing Authority board should be disbanded and the executive director fired, according to a blistering letter written by one board member.
Board member Lois Jones laid out those recommendations in a letter to one of the housing authority’s federal funding agencies, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. She also took issue with board chairwoman Audelia Martinez’s “cavalier” response to a recent HUD review, and for writing the response without other board members’ input.
“As a member of the board, I am highly insulted,” Jones wrote.
The Homestead Housing Authority receives part of its $20 million budget from HUD to provide rental assistance to low-income tenants.
HUD recently released the findings of its management and financial review — which was triggered in part by the board’s hiring of a new executive director, Oscar Hentschel, despite his having no previous experience and not meeting any of the advertised qualifications. Hentschel also received a $20,000 raise within months of his hire.
The HUD report points out those facts, and also points out that Hentschel does not have a contract with the housing authority, but has nonetheless been granted use of agency credit cards. Furthermore, the housing authority has no regulations regarding the use of its credit cards.
According to the report, “the use of a credit card in this manner is inappropriate use of public funds as it is not authorized under the personnel policy.”
HUD also took issue with a $1,500 emergency loan granted to Hentschel, and notes that other employees have received similar loans.
“We found no written policies and/or procedures detailing the conditions and repayment terms under which these types of loans are governed,” the report noted.
Another issue, according to the report: the housing authority has not complied with procurement policies and was unable to produce contracts for service such as legal, security and cleaning.
Board chairwoman Martinez responded to the federal report in a two-and-a-half-page letter, in which Martinez makes the following statements:
• The services for which the housing authority has no contracts have been “provided for quite a while,” and the authority will begin the correct process of finding new vendors for those services.
• The executive director had other qualifications that suit him for the job, such as a master’s degree in business administration.
• The executive director’s salary was increased to bring him up to par with other senior employees.
• Hentschel has repaid the loan, and the housing authority will not provide any more personal loans to staffers.
Board member Jones called it “disturbing” that the rest of the board was not involved in drafting the response, and that a meeting was not immediately called to discuss the report and response. She also raises new issues, such as recent firings of long-time housing authority employees, including Deputy Director Monica Rusconi, who had been there 11 years.
Jones also makes many accusations of violations of Florida’s Government in the Sunshine law, which requires government board decisions to be made in public meetings, and other misdeeds, though she does not provide evidence for those complaints.
“The state of Florida needs to step up to the plate and, using whatever authority provided to them by law or necessity, immediately disband the sitting board of the Homestead Housing Authority followed by the immediate removal of the executive director,” she wrote.
Hentschel declined to comment.
HUD’s report follows another harsh report by the housing authority’s other funding source, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA. The USDA funds housing complexes for low-wage farm workers. A November USDA report blasted the agency for allowing living conditions in its housing centers to deteriorate, while employees enjoyed generous paychecks and perks. The USDA concluded the authority has been so poorly run, since before Hentschel’s tenure, that it has required the authority to hire an outside agency to run it.
For more Homestead news, follow @Cveiga on Twitter.
Similar Posts:
Facebook
Twitter
