The failure of California government to effectively respond to the crisis of homelessness has long been obvious and apparent to even the most disinterested observer. But in recent months we have received even more documentation of just how badly things are going behind the scenes.
Earlier this month, the federal Office of the Inspector General issued its audit report on the fraud risk management practices at the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Specifically, the audit focused on how the department handled federal COVID dollars.
In brief, “HCD was not adequately prepared to prevent, detect, and respond to fraud due to the lack of focus it placed on fraud risks and establishing a robust fraud risk management framework.”
Because of this, the report noted, “it put more than $319.5 million in ESG CARES Act funds at an increased risk of fraud.”
“Fraud poses a significant risk to the integrity of federal programs and erodes public trust in government,” said the inspector general in a statement. “Enhancing its robust antifraud program will help the California Department of Housing and Community Development ensure that its pandemic grant funds, and future homelessness assistance funds, are safeguarded from fraud.”
While the audit didn’t uncover any new instances of fraud, the audit reveals just how poorly the state’s homelessness bureaucracies handle taxpayer money intended to combat a matter of serious concern.
Just a few months ago, the California State Auditor reported that the California Interagency Council on Homelessness — tasked with coordinating and evaluating the homelessness of efforts of multiple state agencies — “has not consistently tracked and evaluated the state’s efforts to prevent and end homelessness.”
The auditor noted the council not only hadn’t “established a consistent method for gathering information on homelessness programs’ costs and outcomes,” but on top of that “has neither ensured the accuracy of the information in the state data system, nor has it used this information to evaluate homelessness programs’ success.”
When you take all of this together with the fact that state and local governments have thrown around billions of dollars ostensibly to resolve the homelessness, it makes sense that homelessness has only boomed over the last decade in California.
California government, as readers of these pages no doubt understand, is a one-party state. Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Democrats own the homelessness crisis. At some point, the voters of California need to look beyond whatever rhetoric Newsom and the Democrats throw around and start judging the results.
It’s up to Newsom and his Democratic supermajority in the Legislature to ensure that government agencies are doing what they’re supposed to be doing. Their ongoing failure to do so reflects poorly on their leadership and translates to immense suffering across the state.