[FoCHAT] CHATNews: A national govt. oversight group is helping CHAT-Please write at their blog

Sun Oct 4 00:50:27 CDT 2009

Oct. 3, 2009

Dear CHAT Members,

CHAT needs you to leave a post at an important blog for a non-profit organization in Washington DC that has spent much time recently helping us. 

This blog is read nationally.

http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2009/09/the-far-too-long-and-winding-road-home-program.html

The  organization, Project On Government Oversight (POGO) , wrote to key Senators and Representatives for CHAT about the problem of shortchanged Road Home applicants, the “surplus” RH money, and the ongoing HUD investigation of our 39-page complaint. 

POGO   “ is an independent nonprofit that investigates and exposes corruption and other misconduct in order to achieve a more effective, accountable, open, and ethical federal government. “

POGO in 1981 was the first to prominently expose outrageously overpriced military spending on items such as a $7,600 coffee maker and a $436 hammer. They have broadened out to other areas of federal accountability.

Here is POGO’s post on the Road Home Program. They wrote this after a careful investigation in response to CHAT’s request.

Sep 30, 2009
The Far Too Long and Winding Road Home Program

Concerned that survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita could lose out on federal funds for rebuilding their homes, POGO sent letters to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Inspector General (IG) and Members of Congress.

The volunteer-run Citizens’ Road Home Action Team (CHAT) brought to our attention the issues with HUD's The Road Home program, which is designed to compensate homeowners affected by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. CHAT has compiled hundreds of egregious stories of applicants being given the runaround from ICF International — the former contractor managing the program — and from Hammerman & Gainer Inc. — the new contractor — such as being denied copies of their files and facing extraordinary delays. For example, Road Home applicant John Lange summarized his appeals process in a May 20, 2009 email to Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and other Members of Congress:   

This process is coming up on three years now. It has been filled with countless phone calls and letters never answered. When you did get someone on the phone, they were almost always totally incompetent and never helpful. Employees of the Road Home were not allowed to respond in writing to any requests and often denied having made statements in previous conversations. Total deniability.  ……… 

To read the rest of the post from this well-respected national organization and to read LRA’s official reply, please go to:

http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2009/09/the-far-too-long-and-winding-road-home-program.html

Please  leave a comment at the bottom of this blog posting about your Road Home experiences or those of others that you learnt about from them or from your participation in CHAT.

POGO’s blog is moderated so you will not see your reply right away. 

Thanks are due!
I am very grateful to Ingrid Drake from POGO who studied the material that I sent to her and that is at our website.

I am very grateful to the four CHAT members who allowed their names to be used in the letters faxed by POGO to Congressmen. You can read the letters here:

http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/letters/contract-oversight/co-kc-20090930.html#
I thank very much Lisa Brown, a CHAT member who introduced me to POGO and a courageous whistleblower who formerly was a Compliance Officer for ICF.

I thank very much the four other former members of ICF or subcontractor staff who have shared important information with CHAT, especially the Appeals officer who generously provided the information in the last newsletter and proofread it for accuracy before I sent it.

I thank very much Alice Weiss, who did such a great and unselfish job formatting, compiling, and making anonymous survey information from over 300 applicants, which POGO could analyze. The survey information is available at our website for the public.

I thank very much COX10 and Carleen Dunn for broadcasting repeatedly our CHAT meeting about our complaint to the HUD Inspector General about the Road Home, which is still under investigation and is discussed in the letters from POGO.

On Public Access TV (COX 10)The Latest Filming of a CHAT Meeting About Our Complaint to the HUD Office of the Inspector General About the Road Home Program 
  Wed., June 10, Noon-1:30 PM; Fri., June 12, Noon-1;30 PM; Sun., June 14, 10:00-11:30; Mon., June 15, 8:00-10:00; Thurs., June 18, 8:00-10:30; Sat., June 20, 11:00-1:00;  Mon., June 22, 12 - 2 PM; Fri., June 26, 8-10 AM; Wed., July 1, 3 PM; Thurs. July2, 2:30 PM; Fri., July 3, 3 PM; Sun., July 5, 9 AM; Mon., July 6, noon; Tues., July 7, 1:30 PM; Wed., July 8, noon; Mon., July 13, 4 PM; Wed., July 15, 3 PM; Thurs., July 16, 3:30 PM; Mon., July 20, 3 PM; Mon., July 27, 3:30 PM;  Wed., Aug. 5, 3 PM; Fri., Aug.7, 8 AM and 2:30 PM; Mon., Aug. 10, 3 PM; Wed., Aug. 12, 3 PM; Fri., Aug. 14, 12:30 PM;  Tues., Aug. 19, 4:30 PM; Fri., Aug. 22, 2 PM; Sat., Aug. 23, 10:30 AM; Wed.,  Aug. 26, 2 PM; Fri., Aug. 28, 2 PM; Sun., Wed., Sept. 9, 2 PM; Fri., Sept. 11, 2 PM; Tues., Sept. 15, noon; Thurs., Sept. 24, 2 PM; Sun., Sept. 27, 10 AM; Mon., Sept. 28, 1:30 PM; Fri., Oct. 2, 2 PM.; Wed., Oct. 7, 2 PM

 Please remember to leave your comments at the POGO blog:

http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2009/09/the-far-too-long-and-winding-road-home-program.html

If you have trouble with this address, you can simply search the web for 
           Winding Road Home Program 

Best wishes,

Melanie Ehrlich

Co-Chairman , Citizens’ Road Home Action Team (CHAT)

http://chatushome.com

Member, LRA Housing Task Force 

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