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Topic: Flint Housing finally fires CEO

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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Flint Housing has not had a good board of directors in years. There have been reports of mismanagement going back 20 plus years. Court cases against Reggie Richardson held allegations of kickbacks, sexual harassment and lying to federal officials.

If John Carpenter had remained at Flint Housing, Slaughter would have been fired years ago and not promoted.

It has been said that Slaughter and Eason were good friends. Maybe that explains why Kate Fields was named a sub contractor on the energy efficiency grant received by Flint Housing.


Flint Housing Commission executive director fired; Agency looks to fill vacancy

Published: Friday, March 02, 2012, 9:11 AM Updated: Friday, March 02, 2012, 9:27 AM

By Kristin Longley | klongley1@mlive.com
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View full sizeMLive.com file photoMince Manor Apartments, a Flint public housing complex
FLINT, Michigan -- The Flint Housing Commission Board of Directors fired the agency's executive director this week, the board president said.

Rod Slaughter had been chief of the public housing agency for nearly four years and worked there for about 10 years, Board President Jessie McIntosh said.

McIntosh said there wasn't a single issue that prompted the firing, rather the board wanted something new.

"The board as a whole felt we wanted to go in a new direction," McIntosh said of the Tuesday vote. "We wanted a fresh start."


Slaughter could not immediately be reached for comment Friday morning.

The Flint Housing Commission is the lead agency over subsidized, low-income and affordable housing in the city. It's funded through rent from tenants and subsidies from the federal government's U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

McIntosh expects the board to appoint an interim director next week, "most likely" an internal candidate, he said. The board is putting out a request for applications for the permanent director position and hopes to have the spot filled quickly, he said.

"In our new director we want someone with leadership ability," he said. "Someone who knows the rules and regulations of HUD, and an effective communicator."

The agency is currently overseeing a federal grant project for energy efficiency savings at its housing units and complexes, he said.
Post Sat Mar 03, 2012 2:47 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Records show Flint Housing Commission complexes failing to meet minimum standards

Published: Sunday, May 16, 2010, 1:00 PM Updated: Sunday, May 16, 2010, 6:32 PM

By Ron Fonger | Flint Journal

FLINT -- Conditions at Flint’s eight public housing complexes are so substandard that every one of the properties flunked the federal government’s most recent annual inspections.

And the executive director of the Flint Housing Commission says some developments may need to be knocked down and rebuilt instead of repaired because of years of neglect.

All eight of the county’s public housing facilities, all of which are in Flint, failed and most received less than half of the 100 points possible in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s assessments, according to records obtained by The Flint Journal through a Freedom of Information Act request.

As many as 1,248 families call these buildings — set up as a housing safety net for the poor and subsidized by HUD — home.

Inside and outside, inspectors found a laundry list of problems in all the buildings, including misssing, damaged or expired fire extinguishers; damaged locks; and missing electrical covers.

Complexes were routinely marked down for everything from tripping hazards to missing or damaged appliances, to mold and mildew, and missing smoke detectors.

Howard Estates scored just 30 points out of 100 in an October inspection, marked down for health and safety problems, particularly inside apartments, including mold and mildew in a number of units, exposed wires and insect infestation.

About 20 units are out of service at Howard Estates because of needed repairs.

Janaze Jackson, a resident of Aldridge Place, another failing complex, said she’s been waiting to see things get better.

“I’ve been waiting to get my ceiling fixed for two years,” Jackson said. “They haven’t fixed nothing in my apartment.”

HUD conducts the inspections — checking common areas and a sample of individual apartments — to insure residents have decent, safe and sanitary housing.

Three months ago, The Journal reported on safety conditions at one of the complexes — River Park Apartments, one of the Housing Commission complexes where a fire killed four children in February.

Nearly half — 46 percent of the units inspected there — had problems with smoke detectors just a few months before the fatal fire.

HUD records show every Housing Commission multi-family property in Flint had one or more life-threatening health and safety deficiencies during 2009 inspections. All but two — Mince Manor and Kenneth M. Simmons Square — had smoke detector violations.

Health and safety violations have to be corrected immediately and include problems like blocked fire exits, open electrical system boxes, and broken cover plates on electrical outlets.

“The public housing stock we have is pretty much outdated, (and) past administrations haven’t addressed modernization,” said Rod Slaughter, executive director and chief executive officer of the Housing Commission. “It’s allowed this to happen. My focus is to modernize.”

The failing condition of FHC apartments has landed it on HUD’s list of troubled agencies since March 2006, according to Donna White, a spokeswoman for the agency.

In an e-mail, White said a revolving door in the commission’s executive offices has contributed to chronic condition problems in public housing.

“I think we are making improvements. The outward signs are not there yet, but this particular leadership seems to be putting in place what needs to happen to see improvements,” White said.

Slaughter has been in charge of the agency for more than two years but before him, the Housing Commission had “no permanent (executive) sufficiently skilled or empowered to commit to preparing and submitting a request for HUD’s Capital Fund Financing Program,” White said in her e-mail.

Slaughter said his goal is to bring the Housing Commission off the failing list this year and has some ammunition to do that: $3.1 million in stimulus funds as well as $2.5 million in regular formula funding to make improvements.

The stimulus money came as a result of a competitive grant program.

Without the extra money for upgrades in the past, Slaughter said, the agency has been doomed to fail its inspections because big-ticket items like doors and windows never get fixed because they simply need to be replaced.

The agency is removing potentially unsafe playground equipment — another repeated safety issue with HUD — and spending on renovations that haven’t been done in decades, Slaughter said. It also has hired a company that specializes in showing housing agencies how to score better on HUD inspections.

Slaughter also wants to evaluate properties to determine whether it makes sense to demolish and rebuild public housing rather than making repairs to the aging collection of developments.

The Housing Commission’s three lowest-scoring complexes — Howard Estates, River Park and Atherton East — are the most likely properties he said could be targeted for demolition and rebuilding.

Howard Estates resident Sandy Jones said she’s lived in that complex for almost eight years and sees things getting better.

“It’s not like you feel like this place can never change,” said Jones, 45. “I feel like they have been making improvements ... (and) are going to upgrade everything.”

Even the FHC’s highest-scored properties failed to get a passing grade, including Aldridge Place, where resident Ronnesha Holmes said it takes too long for repairs to happen.

“People keep it up the best way they can,” said Holmes, who said she believes management has let some repairs slide with the thought of getting more dollars as a result.

She has lived at Aldridge since 2006 and in public housing since 2003.

“It boils down to money,” she said. “If you keep the appearance low then you can get more money.”

The Housing Commission was created in 1964 and is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the mayor of Flint.

It owns 1,248 units of low-income housing and gets its funds from rents, which are subsidized by HUD. In addition to its multi-family developments and scattered homes, the commission provides rental assistance for about 700 families through a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program.

Former executive director John Carpenter, who briefly headed the agency under former mayor Don Williamson, said a problem facing FHC had been a large number — about 250 — of apartments that had been mothballed because the need for repairs overwhelmed the agency.

Today, some of those have been fixed, but there still are about 100 apartments that have been taken out of service for the same reason, officials said.

“The place was a mess,” Carpenter said of the agency. “So many things needed to be done. People are really hard on the units (and) not caring about the places they live.”

Carpenter said in the 11 months he worked as interim director he evicted 77 people and hired outside contractors to make some changes but said there were too many buildings with too many problems.

Slaughter said he is the ninth executive director of the commission since 2003.

“I think they used Band-Aids,” he said. “I don’t want to do Band-Aids.

“We’re not putting on patches. We’re addressing that deterioration.”


Failing to make the grade

Here are Flint’s eight public housing apartment complexes and the most recent scores each received after 2009 inspections by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Properties are listed from highest to lowest scores. Scores of 60 or more are considered passing.

• 58: Kenneth M. Simmons Square, 2101 Stedron St., 93 units, built in 1993.

• 54: Aldridge Place, 5838 Edgar Holt Drive, 93 units, built in 1984.

• 48: Richert Manor, 902 E. Court St., 195 units, built in 1970.

• 47: Mince Manor, 3800 Richfield Road, 110 units, built in 1978.

• 35: Centerview, 2001 N. Center Road, 90 units, built in 1968.

• 31: Atherton East, 2123 Chambers St., 191 units, built in 1967.

• 30: Howard Estates, 801 Floral Park, 95 units, built in 1968.

• 30: River Park, 7002 Pemberton Drive, 179 units, built in 1969.
Post Sat Mar 03, 2012 2:52 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

3537 LYNN ST MAIL TO: SLAUGHTER, RODERICK
Tax Unit: CITY OF FLINT 3537 LYNN ST
School District: FLINT SCHOOLS FLINT, MI 48503


Charges
Status
Original Taxes
Penalties
Interest
Statutory Fees
Total

2009 Forfeiture $1,152.56 $46.10 $432.21 $332.19 $1,963.06
2010 Forfeiture $1,213.43 $48.54 $236.62 $210.77 $1,709.36


2701 WOLCOTT ST MAIL TO: SLAUGHTER, RODERICK
Tax Unit: CITY OF FLINT 3537 LYNN ST
School District: FLINT SCHOOLS FLINT, MI 48503


Charges
Status
Original Taxes
Penalties
Interest
Statutory Fees
Total

2009 Forfeiture $871.90 $34.88 $326.97 $8.00 $1,241.75
2010 Forfeiture $2,145.65 $85.83 $418.40 $210.77 $2,860.65

If property status is Forfeiture only certified funds are accepted




UNLESS THERE IS ANOTHER ROD SLAUGHTER, HE DOESN'T PAY HIS PROPERTY TAXES.
Post Sat Mar 03, 2012 3:00 pm 
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JCARPENTER
F L I N T O I D

Rod had never had any experience at building or remodeling and I felt that he lacked superivisory skills and property management skills as well. 200 of the 249 unoccupied units were completed before I left to accept the vacancy as transportation director for the city of Flint.Complete rehab of the unoccupied units at Atherton East were started and a police mini station was ready to occupy when I left. Dozens of other projects were under way as well includng a mini police station at Atherton East,application to convert Mince Manor to senior citizen only,remodel all comunity rooms and basketball courts along with demolition of some single family units. I did not think that Rod had the skills necessary to continue these projects and suggested another person for my replacement and that Flint housing should replace him as manager of Atherton East.

I will be happy to return to Flint housing as a tempory director for $52,000 a year with no benefits at 90 day intervals and assist with selecting a new director.
Post Sat Mar 03, 2012 5:05 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Flint Housing continues to provide substandard housing
Post Wed Oct 04, 2017 1:44 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector ...
https://oversight.garden/reports/hud/2005-CH-1017
AUDIT REPORT FLINT HOUSING COMMISSION SECTION 8 HOUSING ... HUD forced the board to remove the Commission's former executive director in March ... 3
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The Flint Housing Commission (Commission) was established by the City of Flint (City) on July 27, 1964, by City ordinance under the laws of the State of Michigan pursuant to the U.S. Housing Act of 1937, as amended. The Commission’s primary objective is to provide low-income housing to the citizens within the City and the surrounding area of Genesee County. The Commission had authority to administer 963 Section 8 housing units. However, based on the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Notice 2005-1, “Implementing the Fiscal Year 2005 Appropriations Act,” HUD lowered the Commission’s Section 8 funding for housing assistance payments for calendar year 2005 to a maximum of $3,549,710 and its administrative fees to a
maximum of $422,358. Therefore, the Commission did not have sufficient monies to fund all 867 units under contract as of January 1, 2005. Normal attrition and portability of Section 8 vouchers reduced the number of units by 43, but the Commission decided to terminate 215 contracted Section 8 units to have sufficient funds to meet its obligations for the remaining Section 8 tenants. As of
May 1, 2005, the Commission had 609 units under Section 8 contract.

A five-member board of commissioners appointed by the City’s mayor governs the Commission. HUD placed the Commission on its list of troubled housing authorities in 2001 after an evaluation. After two years of unsatisfactory progress, HUD threatened to take over the Commission in March 2003 unless a new board was appointed. HUD forced the board to remove the Commission’s former executive director in March 2003. HUD also required the Commission to sever most ties with the City during 2002 and 2003. A new board was established in July 2003, and the former executive director was brought back to address HUD’s demands until June 2004 when a new executive director was appointed.

Effective November 2004, HUD declared that the Commission was no longer troubled due to a public housing assessment system score of 73 and a passing Section 8 management assessment program review for fiscal year 2004. The newly appointed executive director served until June 2005, when he was fired by the board for undisclosed reasons. The Commission’s former executive director was appointed again as interim executive director.

Our objectives were to determine whether the Commission had adequate procedures and controls over its inspection of Section 8 housing units, abatement of housing assistance payments, and rent reasonableness determinations.




4
RESULTS OF AUDIT

Finding 1: Section 8 Units Did Not Meet Housing Quality Standards
The Commission’s Section 8 housing units did not meet HUD’s housing quality standards and/or local housing code. Our appraiser identified seven units that had repeat violations, and 40 other units with violations that existed prior to the last inspections by the Commission’s inspector. Violations existed because the Commission lacked an established, adequate quality control process over its inspections. As a result, the Commission’s tenants were subjected to conditions
that were hazardous to their health and safety, and at least $80,457 in HUD funds was not used efficiently and effectively. Improved procedures and controls will help the Commission to ensure that $701,712 in future housing assistance payments will be made for units that are decent, safe, and sanitary.



Units Did Not Meet HUD’s
Standards and/or Local Code

Our appraiser inspected 56 Section 8 units and found 675 violations that did not meet HUD’s housing quality standards and/or local housing code.

Number of Number of
Category of violations units violations
Window condition 44 147
Smoke detectors 45 139
Electrical hazards 36 77
Security 29 69
Wall condition 27 51
Ceiling condition 17 25
Access to unit 23 23
Exterior surfaces 20 20
Stairs, rails, and porches 15 15
Interior and exterior lead-based paint 5 14
Floor condition 11 14
Plumbing (kitchen and bathroom sink, bathtub, and toilet) 12 12
Site and neighborhood conditions 11 11
Electricity/illumination 8 10
Range and refrigerator 10 10
Water heater 7 7
Ventilation, cooling, and interior air quality 7 7
Foundation 6 6
Safety and adequacy of heating equipment 5 5
Roofs/gutters 4 4
Garbage/debris 3 3
Infestation 2 2
Fire exits and other interior hazards 2 2
Chimney 1 1
Space for food storage, preparation, and serving 1 1
Total 675
Post Fri Oct 06, 2017 6:47 am 
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