SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – In New Bedford, Massachusetts, a family paid $525 a month for rent. That three person household made $212,845 or five times more than the income allowed to be placed into public housing ($42,950). The housing authority’s policy doesn’t evict families that are over income. The 22News I-Team reveals what’s being done to close these loopholes.

621 families living in Massachusetts public housing are considered over income. 68 of those families made more than $100,000.

This inspector general’s report illustrated the number of families who made more money than the 2014 program’s eligibility income limits. Nationwide, Massachusetts ranked 10th in over income families.

“I don’t blame anyone for taking advantage of a loophole, I blame us for allowing it to exist,” said U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, (D) Massachusetts.

The 22News I-Team spoke with Congressman Capuano who co-sponsored a bill that would help move over-income families out of public housing.

(Are there too many families making too much money living in public housing right now?) “The answer is there aren’t many, but one is too many,” said Rep. Capuano.

Public housing once known as the projects is federally paid for housing assistance to help families become self-sufficient.  Families must make less than a certain income to be placed in public housing.

The waiting lists to be placed are growing. There are more than 117,000 families on the Boston Housing Authority Waiting list. In Springfield…“The wait list for public housing is almost 3000,” said Springfield Housing Authority Executive Director William Abrashkin.

Springfield had just 14 over income families in the Inspector General’s report. Housing Authority Executive Director William Abrashkin told the I-Team that number has shrunk down to one.

“We’ve made the decision here because of the very high demand for people who are not over income quite low income that we’re putting pretty severe limits on over income,” said Abrashkin.

The waiting list is so long at the Cambridge Housing Authority that it could take years before a family is placed in public housing. Yet 24 families made more than $100,000 and live in public housing, 15 families made $50,000 more than the income limit and two families made $100,000 more than the income limit. The Executive Director in Cambridge told the I-Team some of those numbers are misleading.

“It does not emphasize enough that Congress has not established any kind of continued occupancy income limit for these families,” said Cambridge Housing Authority Executive Director Gregory Russ.

HUD regulations require families to be income eligible only when they are admitted to the program.

(How do you balance the wait list that you have versus some of the over-income families that are living there?) “The balance would be if there was a way to transition a family out and open the unit for someone on the waiting list we’re not unmindful of that,” said Russ.

That’s what this bill in Congress would essentially do.

(If the bill passes, five years down the road and the I.G. (Inspector General) does another report, what do you think we’ll see?) “I hope we’ll see virtually no people living in public housing that are over income unless they are paying higher rents of course that is a disincentive to live there. Do I think that will happen? No. I’m hoping it will be fewer than we have now,” said Rep. Capuano.

That bill unanimously passed the House of Representatives in February and is now with the Senate.

Since that Inspector General’s report was released we checked back in with some housing authorities.  While Springfield’s over-income families have gone from 14 to 1.  New Bedford has gone up from 100 to 109.  The Inspector General estimates the cost nationally to house those over-income families for one year is $104.4 million that could have been used to house low-income families in need of housing assistance.