Four Richmond public housing tenants have been flagged by the federal government amid a sweeping nationwide review of the citizenship status of people who either live in public housing or hold a voucher that provides them with rental assistance. 

Angela Fountain, a spokesperson for the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, confirmed Thursday that the agency had been notified of possible eligibility problems with some of its tenants and said RRHA “is actively working with affected families to obtain the required documentation.” 

“RRHA receives federal funding to administer the Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs and is therefore required to comply with all applicable federal laws, executive orders and guidance issued by HUD, our regulatory authority,” she wrote in an email, referring to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

The largest public housing authority in Virginia, RRHA has over 6,200 public housing residents and more than 4,700 participants in voucher programs. 

Last week, the Trump administration sent letters to public housing authorities across the country ordering them to verify the citizenship and immigration status of all their tenants to ensure they are eligible for assistance. 

The letters direct authorities to review lists of people with discrepancies between information on citizenship status collected by the Department of Homeland Security and information submitted by the housing authority about its tenants to HUD. 

“Inclusion on this report does not automatically mean that an individual is ineligible for HUD assistance,” wrote Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing Benjamin Hobbes. 

However, HUD warns that if public housing authorities do not verify those individuals’ status or take “corrective action” within 30 days, they could face sanctions including a loss of funding. 

Fountain said that RRHA “is prepared to take any actions required under HUD guidance and its Administrative Plan if families do not meet eligibility requirements.” 

The verification push, which HUD announced in a release entitled “Cleaning House,” follows a joint audit with the Department of Homeland Security that federal officials say found roughly 200,000 tenants whose eligibility for housing assistance hasn’t been verified, 25,000 deceased tenants and 6,000 “ineligible non-American tenants.” 

The audit has not been publicly released, and it is not clear whether immigration status or other factors like income level are the reason for the possible ineligibility of the 6,000 tenants. 

While current rules prohibit some types of noncitizens from receiving housing assistance, lawful permanent residents — also known as green card holders — are eligible for benefits, as are groups including refugees and people seeking asylum. It is also legal for ineligible individuals to live with eligible family members who receive assistance, although the amount of that assistance is prorated. 

Catherine Cone, director of housing and consumer justice at the Legal Aid Justice Center, said the immigration verification push is unusual, particularly given that no major eligibility rules have changed. 

“Under federal law, any public housing authority is already required to certify the eligibility of any person who is seeking a subsidy from the public,” she said. 

The Legal Aid Justice Center, which has offices in Richmond, is closely monitoring the situation, said Cone. She urged any tenants with questions about what information they are required to provide to reach out to a legal aid or fair housing agency for assistance. 

“The risk is that this might be some kind of fishing expedition,” she said. 

Contact Reporter Sarah Vogelsong at svogelsong@richmonder.org