Wuhan Virus - What REAC Inspectors are Thinking During the HUD Inspection Shutdown
“Well, after having 3 months off with no work and living off savings I took a job. Only part time and only on Saturday and Sunday. Making quite a bit less money but it will help ease the saving burden. I am inspecting vacation homes … after cleaning crews and before vacationers take occupancy. Sad that I am working alongside 18 year-olds doing the same job with so little experience, but, they did start me out at 2 hr more than them for my years of experience. Maybe room for advancement, but who knows. I do like the gig, but it will not support my lifestyle or pay the bills. Anxiously awaiting HUD putting us back on. If anything, this has shown how important it is to have a rainy day fund. Mine was for home improvements, but [Wuhan virus] got in the way.” REAC Inspector
REAC’s Last and only notice to Inspectors:
Vargas, David A <dave.vargas@hud.gov>
To:REAC Reverse Auction Program
Tue, May 12 at 10:55 AM
This Email is Being Sent to All Eligible Reverse Auction Program and Direct Award Contractors
Hello Everyone:
I hope you and your families are all well and continuing to stay safe in our new era of social distancing. I know the past few weeks have been extremely challenging for you and your families and I want to express my sincere gratitude for your honoring of the business partnership with REAC and the Reverse Auction Program during these uncertain times.
I likewise want to take the opportunity to allay all fears that inspections will be cancelled for the remainder of the year due to COVID19. On the contrary, our commitment to small businesses that help REAC ensure our nation’s housing portfolio is decent, safe, and in good repair has never been stronger as we recognize the families we serve have been among the most affected by this crisis. Please be assured the Reverse Auction Program will resume business operations to the fullest extent once inspections resume – we are awaiting word from HUD’s senior leadership on the proper timing when we can resume inspections and the proper protocol for doing so safely.
REAC continues to actively work with our internal HUD QA inspectors and management to develop guidance for conducting inspections once operations resume that will ensure the safety of our contract inspectors as well as our federal inspectors.
Sincerely,
David A. Vargas, MSA, CPA
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Real Estate Assessment Center
(202) 475-8906
“This is them panicking because inspectors are finding work elsewhere.” REAC Inspector
“Only took 2 month’s . Not a lot of communication. They need to find out how many are left.” REAC Inspector
“Glad to see this. I have been wondering when you active inspectors would get some sort of guidance. At least we know you haven't been forgotten. REAC Inspector
“Lets hope you don't have new guidance to remember and I would hate to see them report you as O/S [out of standard] if you forget to sanitize between units, or don't change your booties often enough.” REAC Inspector
“LOL …, that would not surprise me in the least.” REAC Inspector
“It was not a question or reply on spreading the virus, but if a person would be permitted to inspect, once we can inspect again, if that inspector is in the "vulnerable" population themselves.” REAC Inspector
One REAC Employee I know is putting in letters to properties about volunteering for NSPIRE that Inspections would be started when a vaccine was found for the
Wuh
an virus. Apparently, there the employee did not see the Vargas letter. Why REAC Inspectors don’t find other work is hard to fathom!
This is not the 1
st
time REAC has treated REAC Inspectors cavalierly. REAC put REAC inspectors health and safety in jeopardy with its bed bug policy. REAC stopped taking a properties word for it that units had bed bugs and changed to a inspect the bed bug units policy.
REAC's Bed Bug policy went into effect February 1, 2016, and without much thought or concern for the welfare of its inspectors or property owners and managers. Bed Bugs spread deadly diseases including possibly HIV.
The Centers for Disease Control has conducted tests which do not show any evidence of HIV transmission from bed bugs or other blood sucking insects. However, viruses like West Nile, Yellow fever and Malaria can be transmitted by Mosquito and the same may hold true for bed bugs.
CDC has concluded a bedbug bloated with human blood can burst easily and get on our hands and elsewhere.
Per the CDC, “If you inspect a room with your bare hands, you may run the risk of being exposed to human blood as you accidentally pop the bugs. Depending on where the bed bug was located on you as you rolled over during sleep, you could crush and expose yourself to human blood.”
“So, rather than ask the question can you get AIDS from bed bugs? I prefer to ask can you get AIDS from being exposed to infected blood from a bed bug? Do you want to take that chance!
A recent study indicates that bed bugs can pass Chagas Disease which was not thought possible before these experiments were conducted on mice. Here is what UNM School of Medicine has to say about this disease:
“Chagas disease, or American Trypanosomiasis, remains a leading cause of heart disease south of the US border, with close to 12 million afflicted individuals, 40 million at-risk individuals and 50,000 deaths per year throughout Central and South America. It is caused by the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, and is Michael Levy transmitted to humans by triatomine or kissing bugs.”
It seems REAC is more concerned about those possible Bed Bug abusers than your health and safety. I rather take my chances with a unit with a vicious dog than an HIV infected bud bug.
REAC is more concerned about a few bed bug liars than REAC Inspectors’ health and safety, but not for the
Wuh
an virus? Vargas says REAC is “awaiting word from HUD’s senior leadership on the proper timing when we can resume inspections and the proper protocol for doing so safely”.
Really?! REAC leadership had no trouble deciding to allow spreading bed bug and putting REAC Inspectors’ H&S at risk, without senior leadership’s okay!
Hank Vanderbeek
