Wareham Housing Authority

This is a Massachusetts State Auditor report reviewing certain activities of the Wareham Housing Authority from April 1, 2008 through June 30, 2010.

“In accordance with Chapter 11, Section 12, of the Massachusetts General Laws, the Office of the State Auditor has conducted an audit of certain activities of the Wareham Housing Authority for the period April 1, 2008 to June 30, 2010.”

The auditor checked whether the housing authority had good controls for running and monitoring its programs, and whether it followed applicable rules and laws.

“The objectives of our audit were to assess the adequacy of the Authority’s management control system for measuring, reporting, and monitoring the effectiveness of its programs, and to evaluate its compliance with laws, rules, and regulations applicable to each program.”

Public housing tenants depend on safe, decent, sanitary housing, and taxpayers need assurance that the authority is managing money, records, contracts, and oversight properly.

“As a result, the Commonwealth has limited assurance that the board has exercised adequate oversight and approval of cash disbursements, contracts, and other business actions of the Authority.”

If you live in or care about Wareham public housing, the report says some oversight and accounting problems were fixed, but Agawam Village still needed funding and repairs to buildings, sidewalks, and the roadway.

“However, we noted that there has been no funding or improvements made to resolve the continued deterioration of the building exteriors, sidewalks, and roadway at Agawam Village (Elderly 667-1 development).”

The authority mostly passed the areas tested, but one prior issue was only partly fixed: State Sanitary Code problems tied to Agawam Village’s exterior and grounds remained unresolved.

“Our follow-up review revealed that the Authority has taken steps to repair its buildings.”

The auditor recommended that the authority keep seeking state funding and ask DHCD to inspect the properties so repairs can be prioritized.

“The Authority should continue to apply for funding from DHCD to address the issues noted during our inspections of the buildings and grounds at Agawam Village.”

This report shows improvement since the prior audit, but also shows that some housing conditions still needed state attention and money before all tenant housing needs could be fully addressed.

“DHCD and WHA are working to obtain Modernization Funds through the Formula Funding to provide safe and decent housing to both Agawam and Redwood.”

DHCD means the state Department of Housing and Community Development, which sets rules for local housing authorities, including accounting, inspections, and modernization funding.

“The Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) Accounting Manual requires local housing authorities to properly maintain books of original entry, including a cash receipts journal, cash disbursements journal, and a general journal and ledger.”