City Manager DougAdkins said in an email response that the city had not received any complaintsfrom HUD or BMHA regarding the transfer.

“We areunaware of any issues,” he said in the email.

     When HUDcame to Middletown to do the audit before the Section 8 Program was removed HUDstated that the Section 8 Program was not in compliance, records were missing,records were incomplete and not updated with current information. In fact Iposted several articles on this blog from the newspaper stating these veryfacts.
    Butlerand Warren County had to go over and check eachfile that they received and that is why the transfer took so long.
    Mr. Adkins was fully aware that theSection 8 files were a mess while he was over this department.

Posted: 7:03 p.m.Friday, May 22, 2015

Housing authority: We won’t be ‘Big Brother’for Middletownpolice

By Ed Richter

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — 

AButler Metropolitan Housing official made it clear Thursday that the agencywould do what it can to ensure that Section 8 landlords and tenants in Middletown comply withprogram rules, but it will not act as “Big Brother” for local police.

BarbaraBrown, who manages BMHA’s housing choice voucher program, spoke Thursday at themonthly meeting of the Middletown Real Estate Investors Group to clarify theagency’s policies and procedures. The county housing authority took over Middletown’s Section 8,or federally subsidized housing, vouchers last year at the behest of the U.S.Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Inher remarks, Brown said “the majority of the people we serve are good andcompliant with the rules, but there are some that are not and try to get aroundthe rules.”

WhenMiddletownpolice Lt. Jim Cunningham asked Brown for a list of city properties receivingSection 8 assistance, the tone of the meeting became tense.

“Forwhat reason?” Brown asked.

Cunninghamexplained the information would be used for the city’s chronic nuisanceprogram. City officials and the landlords’ organization are developing achronic nuisance ordinance as a way to alleviate problem properties.

Theproposed ordinance is undergoing changes based on concerns raised by thelandlords, and City Manager Doug Adkins said a revised version could be readyin the coming weeks for review by the landlords before Middletown City Councilconsiders the matter.

Brownsaid when there is a police call or nuisance issue, the landlord and her officeboth receive a notice from the Middletowndetective about the incident. But her office doesn’t provide that informationto the police, she said. Brown said on at least three occasions the city of Hamilton has sent lettersto her office requesting the same information for a list of about 100properties.

SteveBohannon, chairman of Middletown Real Estate Investors Group, agreed withBrown, saying, “there’s no reason for him to have that information. That’sprofiling.”

“Ifpolice want to know if a person is on Section 8, then they should ask thetenant,” Bohannon said. “If they break the law, then they can pay theconsequences.”

Brownsaid while there are good and bad clients, there are also good and badlandlords. She said those landlords have to follow through with documentationof their tenants if they become a problem and provide BMHA with sufficientevidence in order to remove them from the program.

Shealso reminded the landlords that BMHA and the Section 8 program is onlyproviding the rent assistance and does not get involved in issues regardingsecurity deposits or damages to the property. If a landlord has an issue with atenant, Brown said they have to follow through on those legal remedies such aseviction.

“It’sup to you to decide if you want to rent to people on Section 8,” she said. “Butif you do, there are certain federal rules that BMHA has to follow.”

Shesaid the agency has been spending a lot of time working to clean up errors inthe records that were transferred in the transition from the city of Middletown to BMHA. Browncould not be reached Friday for additional comment as the BMHA office is notopen on Fridays.

CityManager Doug Adkins said in an email response that the city had not receivedany complaints from HUD or BMHA regarding the transfer.

“Weare unaware of any issues,” he said in the email.