Nicole Wickliffe is now the permanent head of the D.C. Housing Authority. She leads an agency facing a $62 million budget shortfall and questions about its bookkeeping.

The DCHA Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Sept. 16 to make Wickliffe, who had served as interim executive director since April 18, the agency's permanent leader. The appointment took effect Thursday, Oct. 1.

Wickliffe inherits an agency that serves more than 20,000 residents and has notched real gains under her watch. Since she joined DCHA as deputy executive director in November 2023, the agency has rehabilitated more than 1,400 public housing units and brought more than 3,000 new families into local and federal voucher programs, according to the agency.

Board Chair Raymond Skinner said in a statement that Wickliffe has deep expertise in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) policy and a proven record of operational improvements at DCHA.

But the job comes with enormous financial pressure. DCHA faces a $62 million budget gap caused by the loss of federal inflation funding traditionally distributed to public housing agencies but withheld by the Trump administration, as first reported by The 51st. The agency's board approved a new budget highlighting the shortfall earlier in September.

The picture may be worse. At a D.C. Council roundtable on Sept. 30, Will Singer, the city's assistant deputy auditor for finance, testified that DCHA officials may have failed to account for an additional $52 million in expenses through what appears to be a spreadsheet formula error.

Singer also told council members he found no evidence that DCHA has planned for the possibility that federal shortfall funding will not arrive in the expected amount.

Wickliffe told the same roundtable she was confident HUD would provide some relief. "I have confidence that HUD will fund some dollars. How much of the $60 million? I'm not sure," she said.

Ward 3 Councilmember Matt Frumin called the agency's financial track record a long-running mess and said council members need to press DCHA without getting in the way of the work.

The financial concerns extend beyond the budget gap. A fiscal year 2025 audit released July 15 by the D.C. Office of Inspector General found eight material weaknesses in DCHA's financial reporting. Auditor CliftonLarsonAllen declined to express an opinion on the agency's financial statements. DCHA currently has no internal auditor, according to The 51st.

Budget pressures have already forced the agency to scale back the first phase of a plan to renovate 19 properties, which had not begun as of Oct. 1, according to The 51st. The board discussed potential cost-cutting measures in September, including imposing a minimum rent on tenants and limiting unit transfers.

Before joining DCHA, Wickliffe spent more than 20 years in affordable housing, including stints as deputy director of the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority and director of asset management at the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority. She also worked as a HUD subject matter expert for more than a dozen housing authorities nationwide.

She replaces Keith Pettigrew, who left earlier in 2026 to become CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority, according to WUSA9.

The next DCHA Board of Commissioners meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 1 p.m. It will be held virtually.