As per a document reviewed by WIRED, the LOCCS system currently holds a balance exceeding $100 billion—funds that have been approved by Congress for various HUD projects but have yet to be accessed. A significant portion of this sum has been allocated for disaster relief and community development efforts, according to a source within the agency.
Typically, individuals with access to LOCCS must go through additional processing and obtain various approvals to engage with the system, with most users only possessing “read” access, as indicated by department employees.
“Read/write permissions are utilized for executing contracts and grants on the LOCCS side,” explains one insider. “Normally, there are stringent banking procedures governing any actions taken with the funds. For example, you generally need at least two people to authorize any transactions—much like how bank tellers operate in a traditional bank setting.”
Documents reveal that the second system, to which both DOGE operatives at HUD have read and write access, is the HUD Central Accounting and Program System (HUDCAPS). This system serves as an “integrated management framework for Section 8 programs overseen by the Office of Public and Indian Housing,” as described by HUD. (The Section 8 program assists millions of lower-income families by providing rental assistance through local housing agencies.) Although HUDCAPS is being phased out and was a predecessor to LOCCS, it is still instrumental in processing housing voucher payments and retains a vast amount of personal data.
HUD’s data reveals that around 2.3 million families currently receive housing vouchers in the United States; however, the HUDCAPS database contains records of a far greater number of individuals, as it retains historical data, according to an informed source. Those seeking HUD assistance, such as housing vouchers, must provide sensitive personal information, including medical history and personal accounts.
“People entrust these narratives to HUD,” the source remarks. “This data isn’t just numbers and files; it represents operational trust.”
WASS, or the Web Access Security Subsystem, constitutes the third system wherein DOGE has both read and write access; however, only Mirski has access to this system, based on reviewed documents. It functions to manage permissions for other HUD systems. “WASS primarily involves looking up information stored in various tables to determine identity, access rights, and operational capabilities within the system,” a user manual states.
“WASS is the application that provisions rights to nearly all other HUD systems,” asserts a HUD insider familiar with these systems, who expressed disbelief at Mirski’s level of access since HUD employees typically don’t possess read access, let alone write access. “WASS determines permissions for all the other systems.”
Besides these three systems, Mirski has read-only access to two additional systems. One, the Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS), serves as a nationwide database that monitors all ongoing HUD programs across the country. (“IDIS contains confidential information about the hidden locations of domestic violence shelters,” notes a HUD source, “so possessing even read access is alarming.”) The other is the Financial Assessment of Public Housing (FASS-PH), which is designed to “evaluate the financial health of public housing agencies and their capability to ensure safe and adequate housing,” as indicated on HUD’s website.
