Possible fraud may be occurring at the Berkeley Housing Authority?

Possible fraud may be occurring at the Berkeley Housing Authority?

By Lynda Carson - March 22, 2014

Berkeley - On March 19, 2014, HUD awarded $1.8 billion to 3,100 Public Housing Authorities to improve and preserve their public housing. Out of the $1.8 billion in capital funds to repair public housing that is being passed around by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Berkeley Housing Authority (BHA) is scheduled to receive $112,344 in capital funds from HUD for repair of it's public housing units.

However, Berkeley's 75 public housing town homes were sold and the properties were transferred to out-of-state billionaires Jorge M. Perez and Stephen M. Ross of the Related Companies, on February 14, 2014. Why would the BHA be accepting $112,344 in capital funds from HUD to repair some public housing units that have been privatized and sold to out-of-state billionaires Jorge M. Perez and Stephen M. Ross, of the Related Companies? Possible fraud may be occurring at the Berkeley Housing Authority?

With the privatization of our nation's public housing units happening at full steam ahead and documentation existing revealing that the Berkeley Housing Authority is being paid to repair public housing units it no longer owns, the question arises as to how many other Public Housing Authorities are being paid to repair public housing units they no longer own. Where is the money really going?

Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com

A March 13, 2014, BHA memorandum announced that it's public housing has been sold and the units were transferred to the Related Company. The BHA also states that a notice was sent to it's public housing tenants telling them that the BHA will no longer be involved in their tenancy.

Click below for March 13, BHA memorandum...

http://tinyurl.com/prglbwo

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(March 19, 2014 - Press Release)
HUD AWARDS $1.8 BILLION TO IMPROVE, PRESERVE PUBLIC HOUSING
Grants to support capital needs of 3,100 public housing authorities

Click on link below for Press Rrelease...

http://tinyurl.com/nfj2ekv

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March 19, 2014, HUD capital funding list for Public Housing Authorities per state and city to repair their public housing units...

Click on link below to see how much in capital funds is going to each public housing authority for the repair of their public housing units, including Berkeley Housing Authority...

http://tinyurl.com/km245gn

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(Berkeley's public housing units have been sold to the Related Companies)

(PRESS RELEASE from MARCH 17, 2014 -- Related Companies sued by Manhattan US Attorney for being engaged in a pattern and practice of developing rental apartments that are inaccessible to persons with disabilities.)

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Files Civil Rights Lawsuit Against the Related Companies

Click below for full Press Release and details of civil rights lawsuit filed against the Related Companies...

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/March14/RelatedFHALawsuit.php

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Berkeley public housing tenants speak out about billionaire takeover

By Lynda Carson - March 18, 2014

Billionaires made out like some fat rats in public housing takeover. Public records reveal that the out-of-state billionaires got a sweet deal for their efforts to grab Berkeley's public housing units from the poor. It cost The Related Company around $35 million to buy Berkeley's 75 public housing units, at a cost that works out to be around $99 per square foot, even though the median price of housing in Berkeley is currently going for around $454 per square foot.

Click below for full story...

https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/03/18/18752786.php