HUD’s Inspector General is Auditing Part of the Disaster Funds for Puerto Rico

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of the Inspector General (HUD’s OIG) confirmed it is auditing the Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG–DR) Program funds granted to Puerto Rico after Hurricanes Irma and María. HUD Spokesman Darryl Madden told the Center for Investigative Journalism (CPI, for its initials in Spanish) that he could not offer more details because the process has just begun. Puerto Rico Housing Department Secretary, Fernando Gil-Enseñat, told the CPI that the audit began March 6 and it will oversee regular CDBG funds, as well as CDBG-DR funds. Housing Department Spokeswoman Leticia Jover, said so far, “about $1 billion in CDBG-DR funds have been alloted and they are in the competitive process,” or requests for proposals (RFP). No disbursements of CDBG-DR funds have been made yet for the different programs established in the Action Plan, she said.