Larry Chisholm District Attorney A new joint investigative effort which could lead to the arrest of public housing residents and Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) participants who make false statements about their income to obtain or continue receiving housing assistance, was announced today during a press briefing by the US Department of Housing and Urban Developments Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), the Eastern Judicial Circuit/Chatham County District Attorneys Office (DAO) and the Housing Authority of Savannah (HAS).

Public housing and Housing Choice Voucher Program residents who under-report their household income could face charges of theft and making false statements about their income to obtain or continue receiving housing assistance through the Housing Authority of Savannah. Public housing residents and Housing Choice Voucher participants who are not in compliance should contact the Housing Authority of Savannah's Management Offices or the Section 8 Office to update their income information.

Earline Wesley Davis Director, Housing Authority of Savannah Applicants to the Housing Authority's public housing and Housing Choice Voucher Program are required to disclose all income before assistance is approved and at re-certification. Statements made by applicants about household income and income sources are critical to determining their eligibility to participate in the program and the amount of assistance the applicant will receive. Violation of disclosure requirements will not only result in cancellation of benefits, but could now also lead to prosecution and incarceration.

Kenneth M. Donohue, inspector general for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General said, "This joint investigative effort by HUD's Office of Inspector General, the Housing Authority of Savannah and the Eastern Judicial Circuit Chatham County District Attorney's Office will help send a strong message that those who seek to unlawfully profit by defrauding programs within HUD will be thoroughly investigated." Residents who receive housing assistance through the Housing Authority of Savannah will have an opportunity to reconcile their income information prior to any prosecutorial action by the District Attorneys Office, says Larry Chisolm, Chatham County district attorney. Our goal is to discourage any fraudulent activity that could result in prosecution.

Public Housing residents and Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) participants should contact their management office or case managers within 10 days of changes in income, household composition and all other changes to be in compliance with HUD requirements, says Earline Wesley Davis, director of the Housing Authority of Savannah. This applies to families paying incomebased, flat rent, and negative renters. Information documenting all changes must be presented to the Housing Authority.

The Housing Authority manages 1,876 public housing apartments and 2,868 Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV). The waiting lists for both programs are CLOSED. There are more than 1,500 families on the waiting list for public housing and more than 1,400 for HCV.

Under this cooperative initiative, Housing Authority of Savannah officials will verify all income for household members 18 and older; State Wage Information Collection Agencies (SWICAs) and current and former employers. HAS officials will use SSI and SSD income, retirement pay, child support and contributions that will be compared to HUDs Earned Income Verification Report (EIV). When discrepancies are found, the head of household will be interviewed to resolve the discrepancies.

Cases referred for prosecution in Chatham County will be handled for the government by the Office of Chatham County District Attorney Larry Chisolm.