Los Angeles, California – Los Angeles officials are taking steps to reclaim control over hundreds of millions of dollars in homelessness spending, citing two damning audits that exposed severe mismanagement by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).
On Tuesday, the LA City Council unanimously approved a motion directing staff to explore how the city can bypass LAHSA and directly contract with homeless service providers. The decision comes after an audit earlier this month revealed widespread financial mismanagement within LAHSA, including poor record-keeping, late invoice payments, and a failure to track whether services were actually provided. A previous audit in November found the agency could not account for $5 million in cash advances given to five service providers.
Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who introduced the motion, called for an overhaul of the current system, arguing that LAHSA has failed to properly manage taxpayer money…