In a massive May 2010 report titled, “Recovery Act: States’ and Localities’ Uses of Funds and Actions Needed to Address Implementation Challenges and Bolster Accountability,” the GAO provided a thorough description of two programs created by Congress to bolster low-income housing market investment. (See the May 2010 report, pages 25-162.) In that report, the GAO relied on survey responses from the state housing finance agencies (HFAs) in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and three territories, which answered a series of questions about the impacts of those programs and obstacles to implementing them.

Now, the GAO has released the full responses from those HFAs, including (anonymous) narrative answers. It is illuminating to read some of the challenges confronting the people implementing these programs—especially as so many echo the points we’ve heard in programs across the spectrum of ARRA activities.

We were particularly intrigued by the sheer variety of approaches states have developed in order to deal with some of the job counting and reporting challenges presented by the Recovery Act.

·         "[We] developed a questionnaire for contractors and sub-contractors to use in reporting job creation and retention."

·         "[We hired an] external asset manager."

·         "On-site visits from [our] architect will ensure [our] ability to verify [the] accuracy of job counts reported."

·         "[We] tasked one staff person to handle all job counting duties."

·         "Ultimately, [we will rely] on the developers to provide accurate job data. With no administration funding for either program, constant onsite monitoring is difficult. However, with TCAP [one of the two programs], developers must collect certified payrolls for Davis-Bacon compliance, which [we] can compare to job numbers provided [by] the developers for TCAP reporting."

·         "[We] created a spreadsheet based on HUD guidance for developers to use in order to achieve an accurate job count."

·         "We have provided mandatory training to ARRA recipients. Additional instructions with reporting requirements will be sent to awardees. Internal staff will review each report and job count to ensure that reporting is accurate."

·         And perhaps our favorite, for its sheer simplicity of approach: “Hopefully the markets will recover soon."