Los Angeles County supervisors are calling for a county-run homeless department after a recent audit found the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority had a number of problems, including the handling of funding provided for direct response to the homeless crisis.
The results of the audit, which Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath requested in February, was made public Tuesday, showing that tens of millions of taxpayer dollars could not be accounted for and the county could not properly audit where large amounts of cash go. .
Citing several concerns about LAHSA’s management of funding, the audit conducted by the Auditor-Controller Department found that the agency failed to recoup cash advances provided to subcontractors, failed to maintain repayment schedules for subcontractors, and did not have sufficient records to keep track of advances granted to other contractors. agencies and failed to adequately monitor contracts with recipient agencies.
While LAHSA officials disagree with many of the issues raised in the audit, they acknowledged that others have already been recognized. They said some of the auditor’s recommendations were already being implemented.
Despite this, Supervisor Horvath now plans to introduce a motion that would allow homeless people to respond to a county department. She says it would create more transparency and accountability over how public money is used, and accelerate “real results on homelessness,” in a post on X.
LAHSA CEO Va Lecia Adams Kellum issued a statement in response to the audit, saying: “LAHSA has been in need of reform for some time. The audit confirms that. I came to LAHSA to lead change and solve the problems. Many of the issues outlined in the audit … have been addressed under our new leadership team, changes are underway.”
She attributed a host of problems to the agency’s budget practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
