The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "Housing and Urban Development Department" ...
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Section 8 Scandal
The series discovered that the person running the Section 8 housing program in New Orleans, was also living in the housing himself. This housing is intended for low income people and families, not those making "6-figure salaries". After this story, action was taken and new leadership was brought into the Section 8 program of the Housing Authority (HANO).
Tags: housing; government; Housing and Urban Development (HUD); federal; department; program; support
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Closed Doors: Housing Discrimination Complaints on Rise Across Country
The reporters looked at records of more than 44,000 housing discrimination complaints filed with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development between 2002 and 2006. The analysis revealed many trends about discrimination in housing, including that discrimination is more prevalent in less diverse neighborhoods, and that complaints about disabilities are just as common as complaints about race.
Tags: Philip Meyer Award; discrimination; HUD; housing; landlords; racism; disability; database analysis; Census data
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Abandoning Our Mentally Ill
A year-long investigation of living conditions of the most severely mentally ill patients in the Milwaukee area discovered that those conditions were far from ideal, sometimes filthy and dangerous. Among the discoveries were patients housed in illegal group homes which city building inspectors did not discover or report. In addition, caseworkers were still placing patients in homes despite knowledge of their poor and filthy conditions. At the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex, a 33-year-old woman died from dehydration and starvation after doctors allowed her to go nearly four weeks without food or water. Social service and government agencies had also passed up opportunities to accept federal money for construction of better facilities, $3.3 million in the past seven years.
Tags: Mental illness; Department of Housing and Urban Development; Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex
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Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority Investigation
"These stories detail a history of public contracting at the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority that is at best sloppy and at worst rife with favoritism and conflicts of interest. An audit of the authority by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development confirmed the problems with contracting practices at the authority and asked for $2 million to be repaid because the money wasn't spent properly."
Tags: housing; local government; federal government; housing; local politics; FOIA; public records; government spending
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Nonprofit groups and Legal Action say Fire Department money is up in smoke
The Milwaukee Street Beacon uncovered thathundreds of thousands of Community Development Block Grant dollars went to play Milwaukee Fire Department staffers, instead of to neighborhood organizations.
Tags: HUD; Housing and Urban Development; Community Development Block Grants; Fire Fighters Out Creating Urban Safety; FOCUS; fire detectors; fire prevention; Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation; NICD; Merrill Park NEighborhood Association; Legal Action; Community Parole Watch
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In Your Corner: 1-800-No-Agent Makes No Deal
KFOR's investigation found a former Okla. state senator running a fraudulent real estate agency that reneged on buyers' contracts. The state senator had previously served time in a federal prison for defrauding the Department of Housing and Urban Development . His new agency was receiving income from Section 8 rental properties despite a lifetime ban from receiving federal housing funds.
Tags: fraud; real estate; Housing and Urban Development; Section 8; real estate scam; former senator
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"Travel Costs Mount for Easton Housing Authority"
Investigation of officials at the Easton Housing Authority, the smallest of the three agencies, found that it spent more of the public's money on travel in 18 months than their counterparts combined. It was also found that commissioners stayed extra days, brought their spouses, and used credit cards issued to them to buy personal items. Further investigation lead to the resignations of commissioners and the executive director.
Tags: public housing authority; travel expenses; commissioners; Department of Housing and Urban Development; HUD
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"Yonkers Inside Out"
While examining the politics, economics and development efforts of Yonkers as it rebuilds downtown, the newspaper found a history of legal disputes and financial difficulties with a high-profile developer. The investigation raises questions about how Yonkers picks developers for large projects. A related story shows how state officials plan to sell an 84-acre office park for less than $9 million to a private corporation set up by city officials. The corporation, independent of the city and not subject to local oversight, might resell the property for more than 10 times the purchase price.
Tags: developers; development; city government; quasi-government; arson; Department of Housing and Urban Development; HUD; baseball stadium; Local Development Corporation; taxes; business incorporation records; OSHA; campaign finance
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Hot Economy, but more homeless
Marks reports that the "homelessness is on the rise." She explains that even thought the US economy is on expansion that doesn't stop the need for shelter for families that had lost welfare benefits or got them reduced. Marks looks at the statistics and the reasons the experts use to explain the increase.
Tags: welfare; economic boom; Department of Housing and Urban Development; shelters; children
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The Flip Side of Homeownership
According to the author, "A five-month investigation by The Record exposed serious loopholes in local, state and federal housing regulations that thwart the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's goal of neighborhood stabilization of the inner city. The stories document how lax regulations allowed a real estate partnership to buy more than 100 shoddy homes in New Jersey cities, make cosmetic repairs and sell them for 75 to 100 percent profit to first-time homebuyers with taxpayer backed mortgages. Due to this property-flipping scheme, many owners are forced to foreclose because of high repair costs. Because HUD guarantees the mortgages, the federal government ends up paying off the house."
Tags: federal housing; housing regulations; schemes; loopholes; state housing regulations; New Jersey; real estate; mortgages; taxpayers; federal government; HUD; Housing and Urban Development; cities; inner city