LOS ANGELES — An analysis of interim housing and shelter bed data found that data quality issues make it nearly “impossible” to find available shelter beds, according to Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia’s first full audit released Tuesday.
The City Controller’s Office analyzed and reviewed current efforts by the Los Angeles Housing Services Authority (LAHSA) to gather, use and improve interim housing data.
According to Mejia, the data quality issues make it next to impossible for the city to have an “accurate picture” of how many beds the city actually has available — and how many are being utilized at any given time.
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“Due to the extremely limited amount of interim housing beds within city limits, it is vital that we maximize their use and ensure that providers know, on an up-to-date and day-to-day basis, when beds become available,” according to a statement from Mejia’s office.
“Achieving this requires good quality data and a high level of coordination between outreach workers, program operators, and others to place participants into a shelter,” the statement continued.
LAHSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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The audit highlighted that LAHSA’s data systems are lacking — regarding data entry related to participant enrollments and exits, and bed attendance data.
Additionally, the audit showed that LAHSA did not “follow up” with interim housing providers on their point-in-time sheltered homeless count data despite “red flags” indicating potential data quality issues. Shelters reported low bed utilization rates, meaning that available beds may not be used efficiently.
The agency’s current system for tracking bed availability, known as the Bed Reservation System, is so “unreliable” that it depends on daily…
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