The books of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority will be audited by the county’s top accountants and department heads as a result of a motion approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Feb. 27.
“As Los Angeles County continues to combat the humanitarian crisis that is homelessness, every entity that plays a role in ending the crisis must be challenged, evaluated, and supported to ensure optimal performance,” stated the motion passed by a vote of 5-0 without board discussion.
LAHSA’s role is to coordinate homeless services in Los Angeles County. It also organizes and conducts the point-in-time homeless count every year. The last annual count took place the nights of Jan. 23 through Jan. 25. Results of the count are not expected until late spring or early summer, LAHSA reported. The board on Tuesday, Feb. 6, ordered a review of the 2024 point-in-time count to determine its accuracy.
Results of the 2023 count found 75,518 homeless people in L.A. County.
LAHSA’s 2022-2023 budget totaled $845.4 million. Of that, $726.2 million went to service providers. Of the service providers budget, about $662 million was allocated for interim and permanent housing, according to LAHSA documents. And $40.3 million of the total budget was for LAHSA administration.
“The intention of this audit is to provide a clear and accurate picture of the financial health and practices of LAHSA to best inform incoming financial leadership and staff,” the motion concluded. LAHSA is hiring a new chief financial officer, the county reported.
In the past year, Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger appointed themselves to the LAHSA Commission, the governing board of the agency. Horvath is chair of the commission.
Va Lecia Adams Kellum was appointed the agency’s new chief executive officer and took over leadership on March 26, 2023. Her base salary is $430,000, according to a LAHSA staff report.
“This financial audit is a proactive…
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