SEATTLE—April 24, 2003—In a recent audit of Seattle Housing Authority's NewHolly relocation activities, the City of Seattle Auditor concluded that the housing authority was meeting its obligations under the Memorandum of Agreement with the City. They conducted the audit at the request of the City Council.
Specifically, the audit "determined that SHA's Relocation Plan for Holly Park met the conditions specified in SHA's agreement with the City of Seattle. Holly Park households received advance notice about the project and its impact, counseling to explain relocation options, interpretive services, advance notice of required moves, moving assistance, and compensation for moving expenses."
The audit report also noted that 70 percent of the Holly Park households relocated to their first preference for housing.
According to the audit, "This measure increases to 85 percent when the criteria for achieving first preference includes households that: 1) changed their choice due to health issues requiring a move to a supportive living environment; 2) exercised their eligibility to return to a NewHolly rental unit when they did not achieve homeownership; or 3) achieved homeownership even though this was not their first preference. The remaining 15 percent that did not achieve their first preference either relocated to SHA-managed housing in other Seattle locations, managed housing outside Seattle, or housing subsidized by federal vouchers."
The auditors also made some useful suggestions about the relocation process. They noted that the housing authority was not always able to locate all the relevant information in one file, and suggested improvements here.
According to Willard Brown, SHA's redevelopment project manager who has been in charge of the relocation effort, "We agree that we can do a better job here. The fact that the Holly Park office moved twice during the relocation period meant that it was harder to keep track of all the information."
Surveying relocated residents was also one of the suggestions made. That suggestion will be implemented this spring when a team from the University of Washington contacts relocated residents to learn how their housing is working for them since their move.
"We were very pleased with the results of this audit," said SHA Executive Director Harry Thomas. "The relocation staff tried very hard to make these transitions as reasonable for the residents as possible. It is encouraging to have an outside source validate our process."