The Department of Housing and Urban Development spent $51,000 for 38 public-housing tenants in Detroit to attend a convention of the National Tenants Organization in Puerto Rico. Tenants from Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta also attended the August 1995 convention at taxpayers' expense. A flier promoted the beaches, casinos, and beauty salons at the San Juan resort where the conference was held: "Make NTO Convention 1995 your family vacation ... Casinos for dads, exotic shopping ... pampering for moms."

Tenant Opportunity Program grants, which were used to help fund the trip, are ostensibly meant to "support training and leadership activities in order to empower tenants for resident-management purposes."

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