As KPRC 2 Investigates the Houston Housing Authority we have uncovered a culture of intimidation and secretive deals designed to keep you in the dark.
Investigative reporter Amy Davis now shines a light on the practices of keeping former employees silent.
In part because of the KPRC 2 Investigation into shady contract deals, HHA President and CEO David Northern is currently on paid administrative leave as an independent legal team reviews the contracts he signed and how they were awarded.
Since Northern’s tenure began in February 2022, 190 HHA employees have either resigned or been terminated. This includes several high-ranking officials who left with confidential settlements barring them from discussing their employment. While the HHA would not tell us the total number of employees, the agency’s website claims they have 200 plus employees.
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A list of former HHA employees released by the agency provides only names and termination dates, with no further details.
Houston City Councilmember Julian Ramirez expressed concern about the high turnover and the number of executive-level employees bound by non-disclosure agreements.
KPRC 2 obtained three confidential settlement agreements signed by Northern.
- Former Vice President and General Counsel Keland Lewis received $99,999 in exchange for agreeing not to file claims or disparage HHA.
- Senior Vice President Cupid Alexander was paid $89,135.99 with similar restrictions, including dropping claims of fraud and misrepresentation.
- Vice President of Operations George Griffin was also paid $99,900 for his silence.
HHA’s procurement policy mandates board approval for procurements exceeding $100,000, but these settlement amounts fell just below that threshold.
This raises questions about whether the board was fully aware of the terms of these agreements.
City Councilmember Ramirez highlighted the need for transparency in government agencies, noting that policies restricting employees from reporting issues like waste or abuse undermine public trust.
“That’s astonishing that you would see such a high turnover in a short period of time,” said Ramirez.
Confidential agreements make it impossible for the public to know what happened
Following Northern’s suspension, HHA Vice President and General Counsel Jennine Hovell-Cox has been appointed interim CEO. Hovell-Cox was reportedly involved in drafting at least two of the confidential agreements.
“You would hope that your government agencies are transparent and the public can find out what’s going on so we can evaluate the performance,” said Ramirez.
“Anytime an employee is prevented from telling what they know about waste, fraud or abuse that might exist in an organization, that’s bad public policy.”
Davis reached out to Hovell-Cox and the new HHA Board Chairman, requesting that they lift the non-disclosure agreements to allow former employees to speak freely with KPRC 2 and investigators. However, they declined, citing potential legal risks for the Housing Authority. a spokesperson emailed the following statement:
“Outside counsel for HHA prepared the requested documents you mentioned. There is currently no legal basis to waive any applicable provision thereof and furthermore, HHA is not agreeing to a waiver of any applicable provision contained therein.”
The KPRC 2 Investigation into HHA is not over yet. Amy Davis and the team will keep digging and will bring you updates.
