New IG Report Finds Astounding 3,000 High Level Offenders Living In Public Housing - Schumer To Unveil New Solution To Deal With Problem

Press Release

Taxpayers Paying for Thousands of Sex Offenders to Live in Federally Subsidized Housing - Costs Millions and Takes Away Valuable Housing For People Who Deserve It

1997 Federal Law Was Supposed to Ban Sex Offenders from Living in Public Housing but Bureaucratic Bungles Have Made Ineffectual

Schumer: Sex Offenders In Public Housing Puts Families At Risk and Wastes Tax Payer Money

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on the new federal department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) administration to rectify the failure of the previous regime to enforce federal law preventing sex offenders from living in subsidizing housing. Schumer's call comes in the wake of a recent report revealing that approximately 3,000 registered lifetime sex offenders are violating the law by occupying HUD-subsidized housing. In 1997, Congress passed legislation that denies these dangerous lifetime sex offenders from receiving rental assistance, but a report by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) demonstrates that too many of these offenders are slipping through the cracks. Schumer outlined three steps HUD should now take to ensure that sex offenders - regardless of whether they committed the crime before moving in, or after - are not living in federally subsidized housing at the expense of the tax payer. Schumer noted that the previous administration had been lax in enforcing the law, but he has confidence that the new administration will do a better job.

"When it comes to the safety of our residents we cannot cut corners, but unfortunately the previous administration did not do nearly enough to root out sex offenders from enjoying the benefits of subsidized housing," said Schumer. "This law was enacted to ensure that HUD-subsidized housing is safe for families and children, and that sex offenders were not provided with taxpayer funded housing. There is no reason why this rule should not be enforced fully and accurately. I am calling on the new HUD administration to wipe the slate clean and improve the enforcement of these rules and pushing them to bring an end to these lax policies once and for all."

In August, an audit report by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) was issued to determine the extent to which the 1997 regulation on sex offenders in public housing was being enforced. The report revealed that HUD is not enforcing the law fully and that an estimated 3,046 sex offenders are currently occupying federally subsidized housing. In New York City, 33% of the population in public housing are under 18.

Currently, background checks are not conducted consistently across the board. Background checks are required upon entry to a subsidized housing complex, but the number of years the check goes back is done on an authority by authority basis. For example, some housing authorities check 10 years into an applicants' past when performing a background check -- if one is performed at all. Thus, a registered sex offender from 1998 applying for public housing in 2009 would have a greater likelihood of passing the inspection.

Background checks are also not conducted on a repetitive basis. Once a resident is living in subsidized housing there is no required recurring check to ensure that the individual does not violate the rule while they are occupying the housing. This means that if a resident is convicted of a sex offense requiring lifetime registration while they are receiving housing assistance, there is little way for housing authorities to detect and remedy the problem.

Schumer noted that while the estimated number of sex offenders living in subsidized housing is relatively small compared to the total number of households HUD serves, it nevertheless illuminates a large area of concern and that every effort must be made to ensure the safety of the community.

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