The city Office of Inspector General said Sept. 3 that more than $116,000 was improperly disbursed in the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS(HOPWA) Short-Term Rent, Mortgage and Utility Assistance program.

The OIG reviewed 12 months of applications in the program funded by a $3.03 million federal grant. It is designed to provide up to 21 weeks of financial assistance for rental payments, mortgages and utility costs. 

In April 2025, a program manager from the city’s Neighborhoods Department, which manages HOPWA funding, informed the OIG that some recipients were abusing the application process to obtain more money than they were entitled to receive.

The financial aid is distributed through a network of local nonprofits commonly called “sub-recipients,” each with its own application process, the report said.

Service providers involved are Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services, the Northeast Florida AIDS Network and Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network (JASMYN).

Data provided to the OIG showed that 65 recipients exceeded the program’s maximum assistance duration of 21 weeks without documentation of a waiver. Of those, 55 submitted incorrect information regarding their prior receipt of assistance within the past 12 months.

A total of $366,335.77 was disbursed to the recipients who had gone beyond the 21-week limit without the necessary waiver documentation. 

If assistance had been limited to 21 weeks, the applicants would have received $218,493.88 based on their average weekly disbursement. The excess payments amounted to more than $116,000. 

The OIG offered recommendations to improve the application process, including that service providers establish clear anti-fraud policies. The policies should define what constitutes fraud, outline procedures for preventing and responding to fraudulent activities and specify the consequences for making false statements on a financial aid application.

The OIG also said that the Neighborhoods Department should require a uniform application process for sub-recipients to deter fraud and ensure accountability. 

The full report is available at Jacksonville.gov/OIG. 

To promote transparency and accountability, the OIG encourages the public to report any cases of fraud, waste and abuse at 904-255-5800 or [email protected].