The King County Office of the Ombuds, an independent organization within King County government, found nearly $700,000 in questionable costs across 16 of the 19 community partners reviewed as part of a 2025 audit into the King County Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS).
“Waste, fraud, or abuse likely occurred in some cases and cannot be ruled out in others without additional investigation,” a news release from King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn stated Tuesday.
The report, prepared by Bellevue accounting firm Clark Nuber PS, examined compliance concerns related to contracts with community partners in four DCHS youth and diversion programs: Family Intervention and Restorative Services, Liberation and Healing from Systemic Racism, Restorative Community Pathways, and Stopping the School-to-Prison Pipeline…