The housing agency at the US state of Oregon isn’t able to determine how $426 million of covid relief money was spent, an audit has found.
The agency, which is responsible for financing and construction in the state, launched the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program during the pandemic, as one in seven Oregon workers lost their jobs in the spring of 2020.
The program was designed to help low-income families pay enough rent to stave off evictions.
However Kip Memmott, audits director at the Oregon Audits Division, said in a statement: “The agency has no way of knowing how much of the $426 million went to eligible Oregon recipients and how much was sent to landlords, renters and non-eligible recipients in error.
“It’s extremely concerning that OHCS is unable to verify whether millions of dollars went to the Oregonians who needed and deserved this money the most.
“There is no doubt OHCS, like all of Oregon government, was working under unprecedented emergency conditions during the pandemic.
“As auditors, it’s our job to ensure public monies are being spent in accordance with program guidelines and properly accounted for.”
After being issued with the cash in 2021 and 2022 Oregon was apparently put under pressure to spend the money quickly, as the federal government planned to claw back money that wasn’t allocated to the state.
The housing agency also experienced significant staff turnover between 2020 and 2022, which made keeping track more difficult.
