{"id":7515,"date":"2024-05-17T16:14:42","date_gmt":"2024-05-17T20:14:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/?p=7515"},"modified":"2024-05-17T16:14:42","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T20:14:42","slug":"report-exposes-deep-problems-at-newark-housing-authority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/17\/report-exposes-deep-problems-at-newark-housing-authority\/","title":{"rendered":"Report Exposes Deep Problems At Newark Housing Authority"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BY LEV D. ZILBERMINTS<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An explosive 45-page report and a 22-page whistleblower lawsuit has exposed the corruption, lack of communication, lack of expertise, etc. at the Newark Housing Authority (NHA). This article, the first in a series, looks at the problems, the causes, proposed solutions and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report was shared exclusively with \u201cLocal Talk\u201d by a credible source. What follows is taken from the report and the lawsuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former Executive Director Victor Cirilo\u2019s Role<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the report, former Newark Housing Authority Executive Director Victor Cirilo is responsible for many of the problems that Newark Housing Authority now faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a May 4, 2023 TapInto.net story, the authority\u2019s board of commissioners on April 27, 2023 ended its contract with Victor Cirilo, who has served as the authority\u2019s executive director since 2017. Officials at the time confirmed this. Cirilo\u2019s termination is \u201cwithout cause\u201d according to a resolution approved by the commissioners, the 2023 TapInto.net story said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Cirilo\u2019s biography on JVInvestment website, he is a cum laude graduate of Rutgers University Newark with a Master\u2019s degree in Public Administration. Previously, Victor Cirilo served as the Director of Housing Authority of the City of Passaic. He closed the first HUD (Housing and Urban Development) Rental Assistance Demonstrating Program deals in New Jersey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to https:\/\/www.jvinvestmentproperties.com\/victor-cirilo-bio, Cirilo has over 20 years of experience in the fields of affordable housing and public policy. He is an expert at leveraging private and public finance and at creating non-profit community housing development corporations, private affiliates, and identities of interest to manage these partnerships. Victor has worked with agencies of all sizes and has leveraged numerous initiatives utilizing public housing capital funds, low income housing tax credits, community development block grants, developer fees, and HUD HOME funds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unanswered Questions<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The big question is, if Victor Cirilo has the experience cited in his biography, how did he allow numerous problems to occur at the Newark Housing Authority on his watch from 2017 – 2024? Another question is, were there problems at the Newark Housing Authority before Victor Cirilo became Executive Director? The answers will be given by \u201cLocal Talk\u201d in a series of articles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Victor Cirilo\u2019s own biography offers a possible idea of his central management style. According to the website, https:\/\/www.jvinvestmentproperties.com\/victor-cirilo-bio, he was at the time working on 24 different deals at the Newark Housing Authority. The fact that Mr. Cirilo was working on so many projects himself demonstrates a lack of delegating responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foreword<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the report\u2019s Foreword, \u201cThe following report is the result of the Independent Assessment of the Newark Housing Authority (\u201cNHA\u201d) NJ002. The Assessment was required by the Department\u2019s regulations relevant to Public Housing Authority (\u201cPHA\u201d) performance because the NHA was designated as \u201cTroubled\u201d on November 8, 2023 for its fiscal year ending December 31, 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Members of a team of HUD staff assembled from the Northeast Network, collectively known as a Public Housing Authority Recovery and Sustainability (PHARS) Team, conducted the on-Site Assessment on February 13-16, 2024. This Assessment\u2019s purpose is to determine the underlying causes of unacceptable performance outcomes as measured by HUD\u2019s Public Housing Assessment System (PHARS), to gain a more comprehensive understanding of NHA\u2019s operational viability, and to provide technical assistance. The observations and recommendations of this Assessment serve as the foundation for the development of strategies and plans for sustained improvement, codified as proposed terms for a Recovery Agreement between the Department and the NHA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Assessment included a discussion of the PHAS scores with key NHA staff, a review of documents and financial records, meetings and interviews with staff and members of the Board of Commissioners (\u201cBOC\u201d), sample unit inspections and a site tour. Members of the Team also reviewed recent Independent Public Accountant and Quality Assurance Division audits of the Newark Housing Authority.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Executive Summary Details Problems<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the report, \u201cThis Assessment identified four principal issues that contribute to weaknesses in NHA\u2019s administration of its Public Housing Program. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n