An average of one in four city-funded shelter beds for people experiencing homelessness went unused, costing Los Angeles taxpayers about $218 million over five years, according to a new audit from the city controller’s office.
The audit, released Tuesday, outlines other issues with data quality, interim housing/shelter bed occupancy rates, and inadequate program management from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).
Additionally, fewer than a fifth of people who entered interim housing were able to secure permanent housing, which the audit said is “woefully inadequate.” And more than half of people leaving interim housing returned to homelessness or unknown destinations, which the controller’s office said often means returning to the streets…