Town of Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin today announced sweeping reforms to the municipality’s Section 8 Housing Program.
The initiative will significantly ameliorate performance shortcomings at the township’s agency which provides housing assistance to economically disadvantaged clients.
Clavin announced his reform initiative a mere six months into his administration while expressing disappointment at the previous administration’s failure to disclose the agency’s longstanding failure to meet federally established performance goals.
In fact, the previous administration was apparently aware of the need for reform at the agency but excluded the issue from a “to do” list that the previous Supervisor conveyed to Clavin during the transition of power in Hempstead Town.
Clavin’s announcement backs up his commitment to rebuild the town’s foundering Federal Housing Assistance Program.
Clavin and the Town Board approved an agreement that authorizes the Town Supervisor to formally request the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development transfer the Section 8 housing program from the Department of Urban Renewal to the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal.
After identifying issues of concern within the town’s Section 8 services, including inadequate staffing to process the volume of requests it received, Clavin moved swiftly to facilitate a transition of the program to the qualified state agency.
“Before I entered office, the Town of Hempstead’s Section 8 Housing Program was certainly in dire straits, and was not addressed by the previous administration,” Clavin said. “As soon as I identified the issues, we took immediate action and met with several key officials and experts to formulate a plan that will enhance this vital Housing Assistance Program for the betterment of our residents in need of housing assistance.”
Clavin’s actions were made following a series of meetings with top officials from the New York State Office of Housing and Community Renewal, HUD, and the Community Development Corporation of Long Island. Officials included NYSHCR Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas, HUD Director of Public Housing Luigi D’Ancona, HUD Division Director of NYC and NYS Christopher Ingram, and CDCLI’s Gwen O’Shea.
A recently released multi-year audit detailed the housing agency’s underperformance. Worth noting is the fact that only two months of the audit period occurred during Clavin’s tenure in office. On the other hand, performance failures persisted through the entire two-year tenure of the previous administration. Perhaps more troubling is the fact that a “priority list” of important issues left for Clavin on his first day in office by the former Town Supervisor did not include mention of the Section 8 program.
Specifically, Haber identified the housing program as an item requiring attention while he was employed with the Gillen administration. He wrote “… when I arrived at the town, Jan. 1, 2019, there were roughly 200 unused vouchers and a waiting list of 3,000 residents in need of affordable housing.”
In a recent conversation with a Newsday editor, Clavin committed that he would announce a meaningful plan to reform the town’s struggling Section 8 housing program within 45 days.
Despite dealing with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Clavin initiated a series of discussions and meetings with state and federal housing experts and officials, delivering on his promise for a reform plan within 30 days.
“Housing insecurity is a serious issue, and the Coronavirus pandemic may exacerbate the situation,” Clavin said. “It’s time for action, and we’re taking decisive steps to make housing assistance available to more people in an efficient and effective manner. I want to thank the experts at the state who will help deliver on the promise of readily available housing for those who are confronting the need for housing support.”
In a letter to HUD, Supervisor Clavin asked the agency to expedite the request to transition the Section 8 program to the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal.
“Partnering with the federal and state governments, we can enhance housing opportunities and services for more people,” Clavin concluded. “Accordingly, we will be working with these governments to serve residents efficiently and fixing a problem that was ignored by the previous town administration.”
Submitted by the Town of Hempstead
