Residents wonder why Fulton Co. Housing Authority is late on voucher payments

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — In June, Elizabeth Bustamante’s rent was late because a government agency was behind on her payment.

The great-grandmother with lupus relies on a housing voucher to keep a roof over her head.

However, for the past two months, the Fulton County Housing Authority has been late with payments.

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“And I thought, oh my god, I could have been evicted,” Bustamante told Channel 2′s Michael Doudna.

“We have an obligation to business, and we have an obligation to our community partner, but we also have to know what’s happening,” property manager Lolita Anderson said.

Anderson says they never pursued any eviction procedure toward those relying on vouchers.

They realized the tenants had nothing to do with the late payments, but providing affordable housing is not free.

“So we are paying out things, but we are not getting the gross back in,” Anderson said.

According to information from the Fulton County Housing Authority, all payments for June and July have been made.

They say June’s payment went out on June 25, while July’s payments were processed on July 9.

A spokesperson said the payments were delayed because the previous director was the only person who knew how to send out the payment and did not have a backup.

The Fulton County Housing Authority says they are updating the payment system and have brought in a new team to fix the issue.

They said through an email that payments would go out on time in August.

A HOUSING AUTHORITY UNDER FIRE

Even before this problem, the county housing authority has faced difficulties in recent months.

Channel 2 investigative reporter Sophia Choi first received a copy of a letter that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sent to Fulton County on June 24.

It says in part, “The recommendation for the corrective plan is to procure a third party to manage their program.”

Fulton County Commissioner Chairman Robb Pitts has since told Sophia Choi that he is racing against a deadline after two follow-up letters from the Department of Housing and Urban Development two weeks ago that stated: “The current staff lacks the experience in their current roles to correct the deficiencies.”

The department has also faced allegations of money mismanagement.

Housing Authority chair Antavius Weems is now one of only two board members who have not resigned from their positions.

Weems told Choi “I picked up the phone. I called HUD and asked them would you please meet with me and my board.”

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In a third letter from July 17, HUD gave a July 30 deadline for documents, or it threatened to withhold funding for administrative fees.

Fulton’s housing authority gets $7.8 million from HUD - its only source of funding.

On Monday, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners is set to hold a special meeting to potentially replace the board.

In a statement, Chairman Weems said, “I am committed to making sure that Fulton’s most vulnerable and housing insecure needs are met. We are closing in on filling the service gaps and reaching my goals. That is my focus”

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