Nahant Housing Authority

This is a Massachusetts State Auditor performance audit of the Nahant Housing Authority, covering selected operations from October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2015.

“This report details the audit objectives, scope, methodology, findings, and recommendations for the audit period, October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2015.”

The auditor reviewed whether the authority was properly managing spending, rent collection, tenant eligibility, vacancies, maintenance, inspections, board activities, financial reporting, and related operations.

“In this performance audit, we assessed certain aspects of the Authority’s operations related to administrative expenditures, modernization awards, revenue collections, tenant-eligibility determination, rent redetermination, turnaround times for vacant units, procurement of goods and services, site inspections, board activities, and financial reporting and data collection.”

These issues matter because public housing residents may face delays getting housed, repairs may take too long, units may have health and safety problems, and the authority may lose rent money it needs to operate.

“As a result, the Nahant Housing Authority lost the opportunity to earn as much as $5,729 in rental income (see table below) and eligible applicants in need of state-aided housing may have experienced unnecessary delays in obtaining it.”

If you live in or apply for Nahant public housing, this report points to practical concerns: how fast vacant apartments are filled, how quickly repairs are done, whether rent is calculated correctly, and whether units meet basic safety and sanitary standards.

“The Authority should continue to take the measures necessary to ensure that each of its units conforms to the minimum standards for safe, decent, and sanitary housing in the State Sanitary Code.”

The authority passed some areas, such as allowable spending, procurement, and reporting, but failed in important areas involving vacancies, maintenance, rent collection, tenant placement, rent calculations, sanitary conditions, and board compliance with open meeting rules.

“Below is a list of our audit objectives, indicating each question we intended our audit to answer; the conclusion we reached regarding each objective; and, if applicable, where each objective is discussed in this report.”

The report recommends that the authority work with state housing officials, improve maintenance and vacancy handling, fix documentation and rent practices, and keep addressing sanitary-code and accessibility problems.

“It should work with its facilities management specialist at DHCD to seek solutions to its maintenance problems.”

The audit is significant because it found repeated operational weaknesses at a small public housing authority serving families, elderly residents, and people with disabilities, including problems that could affect fairness, finances, safety, and legal compliance.

“These deficiencies could result in injuries and illnesses, and postponing the necessary repairs could result in further damage/deterioration and additional costs at a future date.”

DHCD is the state housing agency that oversees local housing authorities; the Open Meeting Law sets rules for public board meetings; the State Sanitary Code sets minimum housing safety and health standards; an emergency case plan is the required process for giving urgent housing priority.

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