Missing Houston housing authority records put tenant housing at risk

The Houston Housing Authority, now rebranded as Housing Alliance HTX, is still grappling with the fallout of a botched transition between software systems in November 2024, when "Financial records stopped aligning, and staff could not access crucial files needed to verify their tenants' eligibility for affordable housing," writes R.A. Schuetz in the Houston Chronicle. "Independent auditors have found 'material' misstatements in the housing agency’s financial records every year since 2019, according to copies of the audits."

According to Schuetz, "The agency wrote HUD that it 'anticipated that all system conversion-related issues will be resolved by December 31, 2026,' and that the alliance’s new president, who came on board in February 2025, had 'assessed financial reporting to ensure there were 'no criminal issues' or 'large amounts' of unaccounted money.'"

Auditors also found issues with the agency's housing voucher program, nothing that the agency lacked paperwork for a significant portion of its tenants. "Such mistakes can put tenants’ housing at risk and make it unclear whether the authority is paying the right amount in subsidies." It is also missing records for public housing residents for every year since 2022. "The alliance said in an email that residents found to be missing documentation will be given the opportunity to provide it."