Finnucan’s Section 8 Files Released

Documents released by the Ansonia Housing Authority shows the agency tried to outsource management of a Section 8 apartment owned by the wife of then-executive director James Finnucan.

The authority’s attempt happened in December 2010, five months after a housing authority employee complained that Finnucan’s dual roles were a conflict of interest.

Finnucan’s property was finally transferred out of the Ansonia Housing Authority’s jurisdiction in on Oct. 1, 2011.

There is no official explanation of why it took so long to comply with federal housing regulations, which state that local Section 8 landlords can’t also serve as local housing authority employees or board members.

No one from the Ansonia Housing Authority would comment. Finnucan has not returned calls for comment.

Background

Finnucan resigned from his role as executive director of the Ansonia Housing Authority in December 2011. He had the job for five years and was paid $104,978 annually.

The Valley Indy first reported on Finnucan’s conflict of interest on Feb 3.

At the time of that publication, the Valley Indy had a Freedom of Information request pending for access to the Ansonia Housing Authority file on the Finnucan’s North Main Street Section 8 property.

The Valley Indy inspected parts of the Section 8 file Feb. 24. The file was heavily redacted to protect the privacy of the Finnucans’ tenants.

Section 8 is a federal housing assistance program that helps low-income individuals and families by providing money for rent.

To prevent potential abuse, HUD prohibits landlords from also administering Section 8 programs. The goal is to prevent Section 8 landlords from determining how much rent they get paid.

The Numbers

Documents reviewed Feb. 24 show the Ansonia Housing Authority paid the Finnucans between $600 and $850 a month in rent.

Between 2008 and 2011, the Ansonia Housing Authority issued rent payments to the Finnucans totaling $33,030. The housing authority did not have complete records of the payments to any landlords prior to 2008. 

The Complaint

Gwen Archer, the director of Ansonia Housing Authority programs at the time, first complained about Finnucan’s apartment in July 2010, according to documents received by the Valley Independent Sentinel. 

Archer showed Finnucan the HUD regulations that outline his wife’s ownership as a conflict of interest, and asked him to handle the situation. 

By October 2010, Ansonia Housing Authority officials told Archer they were trying to re-assign the supervision of Finnucan’s apartment to a different housing authority as a way to alleviate the conflict of interest. 

Documents in the Section 8 file for the apartment show that in December 2010, an outside agency — J. D’Amelia Associates — was brought in to inspect the apartment. It marked the first time an outside agency inspected the apartment.

Section 8 housing is inspected at least once a year to make sure it meets the federal Housing Quality Standards” for safe and sanitary housing. The review includes checks of electrical hazards, the condition of walls and windows, plumbing, smoke detectors, and other general health and safety items. 

The Finnucan apartment failed the inspection.

The records indicate Finnucan’s apartment failed due to water stains on the living ream ceiling, chipping paint on outdoor porches, a basement smoke detector not working, and a missing circuit breaker box.

The December 2010 inspection was not the first time the apartment failed. 

A 2008 inspection was conducted by the Ansonia Housing Authority — a year after Finnucan became the executive director. 

The apartment failed then because of evidence of a mice infestation, slow draining in a bathroom sink, leaking ceilings, fire hazards in the basement, and inadequate heating.

The apartment was inspected again on Sept. 27, 2011, by the Ansonia Housing Authority. It passed. Three days later was transferred to the jurisdiction of J. D’Amelia & Associates, according to the documents.

Regional HUD officials first found out about Finnucan’s conflict of interest in September 2011 — a month after Archer resigned in protest.

In February, HUD officials sent a letter to the Ansonia Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, saying it should not place new Section 8 tenants in Finnucan’s apartment until December 2012. 

During this time frame, the housing authority should not place residents in properties which have a conflict of interest nor should the landlord with a conflict of interest accept new residents with vouchers from the Ansonia Housing Authority,” Rhonda Siciliano, New England HUD spokesman, wrote in an e‑mail to the Valley Indy Feb. 3.

Read previous articles on the conflict and changes at the Ansonia Housing Authority by clicking on the following links.

Documents Reveal Conflict Of Interest At The Ansonia Housing Authority

Shake Up, Silence At Ansonia Housing Authority

Former Ansonia Housing Authority Director Still On Payroll

Few Details Released In Ansonia Housing Authority Shake Up

TIMELINE

March 1, 2004 — Eileen Finnucan signs a lease with the Ansonia Housing Authority to rent out one apartment through the Section 8 program.

January 2007 — James Finnucan, former Ansonia Mayor, starts job as the Executive Director of the Ansonia Housing Authority.

2008 — Former housing authority employee Gwen Archer becomes the director of housing authority programs.

July 2010 — Gwen Archer first brings up concerns about the Section 8 apartment rented by Finnucan’s wife.

October 2010 — Archer believes the apartment is going to be transferred to the administration of J. D’Amelia & Associates, which works with the Housing Authority of New Haven.

Dec. 15, 2010 — J. D’Amelia & Associates inspects the apartment owned by the Finnucans. It fails the inspection because of stained ceilings, peeling paint, and a missing circuit breaker panel.

March 2011 — Archer finds out the apartment was never transferred to J. D’Amelia & Associates. She e‑mails Finnucan, reminding him of the conflict of interest.

July 2011 — Archer files a letter of resignation, amid frustrations that the apartment wasn’t transferred.

September 2011 — The apartment is inspected by the Ansonia Housing Authority and passes.

Oct. 3, 2011 — J. D’Amelia & Associates notifies the Ansonia Housing Authority that the apartment can be transferred and will no longer be administered by the Ansonia Housing Authority.

Dec. 1, 2011 — Ansonia Housing Authority Compliance Coordinator Tiffany Reeves is fired by the Board of Commissioners, after a review of an unspecified complaint against her and Finnucan.

Dec. 28, 2011 — Finnucan resigns, after an investigation into unspecified complaints against him by Archer.

Feb. 29, 2012 — Finnucan stopped receiving his pay and benefits from the Ansonia Housing Authority. He made $104,978 in his position.

Keep local reporting alive. Donate.ValleyIndy.org