Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, whose Third District encompasses most of the Valley, has called for the formation of a new county department to handle the spending of homeless funding.
This follows an audit performed by the Country’s Auditor-Controller Department released this week that showed numerous problems with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).
Those include no agreements with partners for repayment of cash advances from the county, failing to reimburse nonprofits on time even when the money was there, lack of control over contract reviews or cash payments and inappropriate use of funds.
LAHSA is a joint powers authority between the county and city, created in 1993 to address the homeless crisis.
There have been ongoing complaints for their response to the number of homeless on the streets, sidewalks, alleys, park and underpasses across the city.
Horvath appointed herself to the LAHSA board to, in her words, “to focus accountability and transparency on the use of resources.
She has said she will introduce a motion to the Board of Supervisors to create a new L.A. County department to “centralize accountability and expedite the solution and partnerships we know work.”
The Board of Supervisors was the entity that called for the audit back in February.
Several nonprofits testified before the board during the audit that they have to wait for up to four months to get paid for their work, sometimes leading to a stop in services they could provide.
Other nonprofits simply stopped working with LAHSA because they weren’t getting paid.
The audit proved these complaints, showing long lag times between invoices being submitted and actually being paid.
Horvath said she also wants changes in the way the county and LAHSA manage money from Measure H, the one-quarter percent sales tax approved in 2017 to provide shelter, permanent housing and services for the homeless.
