Follow-up Audit Report on the Processing of Clients’ Permanent Housing Applications by the HIV/AIDS Services Administration of the Human Resources Administration

AUDIT REPORT IN BRIEF

This audit determined whether the HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) of the Human Resources Administration (HRA) implemented the seven recommendations made in the Audit Report on the Processing of Clients’ Permanent Housing Applications by the HIV/AIDS Services Administration of the Human Resources Administration (ME02-116A), issued on June 30, 2003. HASA is the primary mechanism within HRA that is responsible for expediting access to the essential benefits and social services needed by persons living with AIDS and HIV-related illnesses and their families. HASA provides social, vocational, and financial services to eligible individuals and their families, including permanent and transitional housing to those who are homeless or potentially homeless.

The previous audit report concluded that HASA was not efficient in processing clients’ applications for permanent housing. The audit found that case managers at HASA field centers did not track the progress of permanent housing applications filed with the Housing Unit. The audit also concluded that HASA did not comply with its own time frames for processing requests for financial assistance for clients who had secured a valid lease or letter of intent to rent.

Audit Findings and Conclusions

Of the seven recommendations made in the previous audit, HASA has implemented one, partially implemented three and did not implement three.

HASA revised and updated its procedures manual to better identify the major steps in the process of placing clients in permanent housing, the responsibilities of key staff members and supervisors, and the maintenance of important documents. In addition, HASA has updated its computer systems to allow case managers, housing specialists, and management to better track the progress of applications from the date of application to placement. However, there is a lack of evidence on the computer systems that the case managers scheduled any of the client interviews with permanent housing providers, as required in the HASA procedures manual. Furthermore, while the Eligibility Unit appears to be making decisions on financial assistance requests within five working days and approved payments are issued within 30 calendar days, the field centers are not consistently providing the requests to the Eligibility Unit within three working days, as required by the HASA procedures manual. Finally, HASA has improved the timeliness of its processing of financial assistance packages. However, the packages that we reviewed still lacked essential documents.

Audit Recommendations

To address the issues that still exist, we recommend that HASA:

• Program the HASA Web to provide information on the scheduling of client interviews with housing providers.

• Endeavor to obtain more timely communication between providers and housing specialists on the results of interviews.

• Ensure that the field centers maintain signed copies of clients’ housing applications.

• Identify the causes for delays in forwarding completed requests for housing-related financial assistance to the Eligibility Unit and develop strategies to ensure that the packages are forwarded to the Eligibility Unit within three working days.

• Ensure that case managers, eligibility specialists, supervisors and center directors adequately review requests for housing-related financial assistance to ensure that all required forms, including signed and dated request forms and client receipts, are completed and maintained by HASA.

Agency Response

In its written response to our draft report, HRA officials disagreed with several of the audit’s findings but agreed with all of the audit’s recommendations.