Documents released this month by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development show that ACORN affiliate Affordable Housing Centers of America (AHCOA) received over $350,000 in Pennsylvania despite a Congressional ban on funding the organization. According to a HUD press release, AHCOA received $350,030.64 “to provide counseling assistance relating to mortgage modification, avoiding potential mortgage scams, and assisting victims of scams.” This comes on the heels of last week’s revelation that AHCOA received $300,000 from HUD in August and an earlier report that AHCOA received almost $80,000 in April.
The Daily Caller’s coverage of FTJ’s efforts at exposing AHCOA and ACORN were covered in a story last week describing HUD’s award of $300,000 and a story today describing the $350,000 award.
In late 2009 Congress prohibited the government from funding ACORN or any ACORN affiliates, subsidiaries or allied organizations. Not surprisingly, records recently uncovered from the Louisiana Secretary of State show that on January 8, 2010, ACORN simply changed its name to AHCOA. HUD’s own press release removes any doubt that the Affordable Housing Centers of America (AHCOA) is not distinct from ACORN Housing by stating, “Since 1985, Affordable Housing Centers of America (AHCOA) has been providing housing counseling services to low and moderate and minority communities and fighting housing discrimination.”
The name-change trick apparently worked, because in a September 29, 2010 report, the U.S. Governmental Accountability Office found that AHCOA was not, “as presently configured. . . an affiliate, subsidiary, or allied organization of ACORN,” thus allowing ACORN/AHCOA to continue receiving federal funding.
If Congress does not ask the GAO to review its decision by September 29, 2011, the GAO’s funding determination will become unreviewable.
Freedom Through Justice Foundation Executive Director stated:
It is obvious that the President and his Housing and Urban Development Department are completely ignoring the will of Congress. Despite clear evidence that ACORN merely changed their name to AHCOA, HUD continues to disingenuously maintain that AHCOA is not an affiliate of ACORN. HUD’s September 2, 2011 grant is the latest instance of the American taxpayers’ money being improperly steered to an entity with a history of financial mismanagement and corrupt election activities. In just the past year, AHCOA’s receipts from HUD have gone from $80,000 to $300,000 to $350,000; it’s a matter of time before AHCOA is receiving several million dollars per year of taxpayer dollars.
The Freedom Through Justice Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest firm that uses public policy and legal reform strategies to ensure greater transparency in government, protect taxpayer interests and promote social and economic freedoms. Follow the Foundation via Twitter: @FTJFoundation.
