David Northern, president of the Houston Housing Authority, has resigned by proxy through his lawyer.
The HHA, which serves over 60,000 low-income Houstonians and employs more than 200 staff members, operates with an annual budget of more than $300 million.
Since Northern became president in February 2022, nearly 200 employees have either resigned or been terminated, including several senior staff members who left with confidential settlements prohibiting them from discussing the details of their resignations/terminations.
Northern’s resignation comes after a months-long KPRC 2 investigation raised serious concerns about HHA’s financial oversight. The investigation revealed many of the awarded contracts resulted in incomplete or over-budget projects, including a renovation project at Cuney Homes, Houston’s oldest public housing development.
The project, which was supposed to revamp the landscape, connect the property to a nearby trail, and add benches, tables, and other amenities, had an initial budget of $643,500. However, the HHA paid more than $766,000 and the project was still incomplete. The contractor, Elite Project Management, had been registered in Texas for only two months before being awarded the contract. David Northern personally signed the agreement, but initially dodged questions about the incomplete project, later admitting he was unaware of the incompletion.
Another instance of questionable financial decision making involved the installation of 1,615 new air conditioning units at one of HHA’s properties. Originally estimated to cost $2.3 million, the project ended up running over budget, with the final bill exceeding $5.4 million—more than double the original estimate.
On October 22, the HHA confirmed it had received a search warrant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Inspector General. The warrant was part of an investigation into The Pointe at Bayou Bend, a property purchased by HHA for four times its appraised value. The site is located near the former location of Houston’s incinerator, a site heavily contaminated with toxic ash. Investigators sought soil samples to determine the potential environmental hazards on the property and danger posed to future tenants.
On October 29, amid the continuing investigations, the HHA board of commissioners voted to place David Northern on administrative leave.
David Northern responded to the allegations and being placed on leave with the following statement:
I’m confident this warrantless investigation to try to remove me from my position will turn up nothing. The Board has taken this step to try and fabricate a reason to remove me because they do not have one. This decision stems from the coordinated opposition from anti-affordable housing and special interest groups who view affordable housing as a threat to their pocketbooks. Regardless, I remain committed to the vital mission of providing affordable housing to Houston families, despite the attacks my team and I have faced.
Now, less than a month after assuring the public of his innocence and readiness to fight the allegations, David Northern has resigned as president and CEO of the Houston Housing Authority.
According to an official motion from HHA Board Chairman Jody Proler, Northern’s resignation is effective immediately, and he will receive a severance package that includes six months’ salary and the continuation of his insurance benefits.
Notably, Northern was not in attendance at yesterday’s board meeting and only confirmed his resignation through his attorney, Patrick Yarborough, who declined to comment further.
The board unanimously approved the resignation and severance package. As part of the severance arrangement, taxpayers will bear the $139,250 cost of Northern’s salary, along with the expense of continuing his insurance benefits.
No ads. No paywalls. No government grants. No corporate masters.
Just real news for real Texans.
Support Texas Scorecard to keep it that way!
