Federal Housing Failures Shadow Gillen’s Reelection Bid

A record of federal housing oversight failures during Rep. Laura Gillen’s tenure as Hempstead Town supervisor is returning to the spotlight as the Democrat seeks reelection to Congress in New York’s Fourth District.

Gillen, who served as supervisor from January 2018 through December 2019, campaigned on eliminating government waste, fraud and abuse. Yet federal audit reports from those years identified numerous deficiencies involving federally funded programs, including the town’s administration of Section 8 housing assistance.

According to Hempstead’s 2018 and 2019 single audit reports, auditors identified 12 significant deficiencies or material weaknesses across the two years, compared with none reported in 2017.

The 2018 audit documented 19 failed housing inspections among 40 sampled, including 10 cases in which health and safety violations were not corrected within required deadlines. In three cases, payments continued to landlords despite unresolved violations.

The problems persisted in 2019, when auditors again cited inadequate inspections and improper payments.

“As Town of Hempstead Supervisor, my top priority was to audit and expose the rampant fiscal mismanagement and corrupt patronage that failed taxpayers year after year,” Gillen said in a statement. “My predecessors caused this mess, and I worked to clean it up.”

Substandard housing rented by absentee landlords has been the bane of many suburban communities as poorly maintained properties and overcrowding drive down home values and increase the demand for services.

“If New Yorkers want prices to go down and more affordable housing, don’t vote for Laura Gillen,” said Lydia Hall, spokeswoman for the Congressional Leadership Fund. “She has done nothing for New Yorkers. She has voted against tax cuts, voted against district funding while trying—and failing—to take credit, and severely botched the town’s affordable housing program for those in need.”

Auditors also identified an oversight problem involving the town’s Department of Urban Development, whose commissioner position remained vacant from August 2018 through Gillen’s departure.

The financial consequences were substantial.

Federal housing data showed Hempstead spent only 82% of its available Section 8 funding in 2018, compared with a national average of 98%, while more than 3,500 households remained on the waiting list.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development subsequently reduced Hempstead’s annual voucher allocation from $2.9 million in 2018 to $1 million in 2019, citing excessive unspent reserves.

Gillen, now seeking another House term, has emphasized affordability and federal investment in her reelection campaign.