INDIANAPOLIS — The City of Indianapolis and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) intend to partner to address financial and structural issues with the Indianapolis Housing Agency (IHA), the independent local housing authority serving Indianapolis and Marion County.
Mayor Hogsett and HUD Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing Richard J. Monocchio sent a joint letter to the Board of Directors of the IHA, informing the Board that the City and HUD intended to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA). The CEA will outline the roles and responsibilities of the City, HUD, and IHA in a reorganization and reconstitution of the oversight, management, and daily operations of the IHA.
The next steps are to finalize the CEA and to get a third-party consultant to evaluate the results of a recent HUD review as well as to evaluate IHA’s oversight, management, and operations.
The change comes on the heels of months of housing concerns overseen by the IHA, including substandard housing in Lugar Towers and other developments. In January 2023, a ransomware attack on IHA caused the exposure of sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, of about 200,000 residents.
There is expected to be no impact on the status of IHA tenants under the CEA. Residents should continue to use the same resources as normal to pay rent, request maintenance, and submit applications.
Additional updates regarding the CEA will be provided to tenants and the public once they occur.