Feds' scathing Milwaukee housing authority report; critics respond
MILWAUKEE - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) wrote a scathing letter to Milwaukee's housing authority. For critics of the embattled agency, it's vindication.
The Background
HUD criticized the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee HACM for several things, including not fixing health and safety issues within the required timeframes. The letter also said HACM is not providing accurate financial reports. It gave an example from a 2022 audit.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
FOX6 News questioned Willie Hines, HACM's soon-to-be-retired leader, about the $2.5 million discrepancy on Wednesday.
"We do have a forensic audit that is in place now," he said. "In terms of the $2.5 million, we have auditors in place, and I’m confident by the end of this year, when we’re able to report out, that that will be corrected and addressed as well."
Milwaukee housing authority; feds issue scathing report
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development wrote a scathing letter to Milwaukee's housing authority, saying the organization requires changes.
What They're Saying
During a previous, cold Milwaukee winter, Becher Court President Betty Newton found problems at the HACM building.
"The neighbor on the other side of me didn’t have heat for almost a year-and-a-half. And the person that was directly over him did not have heat," Newton said. "I'm optimistic about the future, a future that can improve.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.
HACM houses roughly 15,000 people. Along with those residents, Milwaukee activists and city leaders have been critical of the agency.
"$2.5 million of that money is missing. It hasn’t been fixed in two years," said Common Ground's Kevin Solomon.
"It’s a huge mistake, and we’ve been wanting to be much more involved. We’ve been told over and over again: Your only role is to confirm HACM appointees to the board," Milwaukee Common Council President José Pérez.
Willie Hines retiring, Milwaukee housing authority residents hopeful
For more than a year, tenants and activists demanded new leadership at the embattled Milwaukee housing authority. Willie Hines will soon retire.
What's Next
Hines is retiring on Jan. 1. He said the federal rebuke, which HACM received in October but was not made public until Wednesday, is not why he is stepping down. He said he has been planning it for as long as five years.
"There are some concerns I have with the letter, and I’m going to take full responsibility and doing everything between the time by which I am here to address it," Hines said on Wednesday. "Those are some serious findings. We’ve not got the chance to sit down with HUD relative to a recovery plan and recovery actions, but that is anticipated."
The housing authority now has to work with the federal government to come up with a recovery plan.