Did you know that one of the largest land developers in Montgomery County is a government agency called the Housing Opportunities Commission?

From Maryland Delegate Al Carr's Facebook:  

SUNLIGHT IS THE BEST DISINFECTANT
Did you know that one of the largest land developers in Montgomery County is a government agency called the Housing Opportunities Commission? HOC's roots are in administering federal housing funds - but their mission has grown over the years. With annual revenue of around $300M, HOC is also a landlord for a large number of both market-rate and subsidized housing units. I've heard complaints in recent years from constituents about the lack of transparency and communication from the HOC. A state panel ruled earlier this month that HOC violated our open meetings law more than a hundred times over the past 5 years. One way to strengthen housing is to boost public confidence in this organization by improving transparency. I have introduced MC 7-21 to encourage HOC to conduct its business in public. It is based on a law that has been on the books for decades for the Annapolis Housing Authority. The virtual public hearing is at 7pm on December 8th.

 

SUNLIGHT IS THE BEST DISINFECTANT Did you know that one of the largest land developers in Montgomery County is a...

Posted by Al Carr on Sunday, November 22, 2020

Senator says he has received complaints about HOC operations. Oversight of HOC LONG OVERDUE!

...Sen. Ben Kramer said he introduced a bill in the Maryland legislature after receiving complaints from constituents and HOC employees alleging waste, fraud and mismanagement in the department.

“There tends to be a sentiment that HOC rides roughshod over the community. And I have heard with enough frequency that this was something we should take a closer look at, and it seems the best way is to empower Montgomery County’s inspector general over HOC in the same way they do over county government,” said Kramer, a Democrat who represents parts of Rockville, Aspen Hill and Wheaton...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/government/bill-would-give-county-the-authority-to-place-hoc-under-inspector-generals-authority/

Berliner Gets Tobytown a Gate. Cemetery Fence to Be Removed. No Acknowledgement of Unmarked Graves.

HOC proposed gate to nowhere.

On February 23, 2017, Councilmember Roger Berliner asked the Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC) of Montgomery County to restore the cemetery in Tobytown “to a dignified state and to develop a plan for its on-going maintenance.”

In response to that request, HOC presented plans to the residents of Tobytown on May 23, 2017, for a gate for the Tobytown cemetery.  A drawing of the proposed gate is shown in the image to the left and the plans for the gate are shown in the documents below.  

In addition to a gate, HOC staff announced that the existing fence around the Tobytown cemetery would be removed.  The gate structure would not be connected to anything and the boundaries of the cemetery would no longer be marked under this proposal.

Many of the graves in the cemetery are unmarked and HOC staff did not present any plans to mark the graves or memorialize those that are buried in this historic cemetery.  

HOC did not present the residents with any plans for ongoing maintenance of the cemetery. 

When asked about the administration of a cemetery, the HOC staff at the May 23rd meeting refused to discuss the permitting or oversight process for Maryland cemeteries.

  2017 May 23 Tobytown Handouts by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd

Audit: HOC of Montgomery Co. 405 housing quality standards violations, including 89 violations that needed to be corrected within 24 hours because they posed a serious threat to the safety of the tenants. HOC to Reimburse $44,887 to HUD

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited the Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC) of Montgomery County, Maryland in 2016.  Below are the findings of the HUD Inspector General and a link to the full audit. (Note: This audit came out one month after the Silver Spring explosion.)

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Click the link below for the full audit report and the HOC of Montgomery County response.

https://www.hudoig.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2016-PH-1008.pdf