California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) administration failed to track $24 billion in taxpayer funds spent over the past five years to curb the state’s homelessness crisis, an audit has found.
California Department of Audit reportReleased on April 9th, It detailed multiple “gaps” in accountability regarding how funds were allocated during the 2018-2023 financial year. Chief Auditor Grant Parks said the state “hasn’t collected enough data” to prove that the billions of dollars have improved the situation.
Parks, who was appointed by Newsom in 2022, said in the report that the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) will “be consistent in the state’s efforts to prevent and end homelessness” starting in 2021. “We have not tracked or evaluated the results,” he added.
“California ICH also fails to align its action plan to end homelessness with its statutory goals of collecting financial information and ensuring accountability and results,” the report states. “Therefore, there can be no assurance that the actions our company takes will effectively achieve those goals.”
That means there’s no way to tell whether the money was actually used to provide real assistance to homeless people.
Conservatives in the state are now demanding answers, with James Gallagher, the Republican leader in the California Assembly, directly criticizing Newsom.
“This is classic Gavin Newsom: making big announcements, wasting a lot of taxpayer money, and completely underperforming,” Gallagher said. Said Fox News.
“Californians are tired of the homelessness crisis, but they’re even more tired of Gavin’s excuses. We need results – period, period, period.”
Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-X) accused the governor of trying to block the audit.
“The first time I asked for an audit was in 2020, but Newsom stepped in and shut down the audit. Now I understand why he didn’t want an investigation into spending,” the lawmaker wrote. “Last year, Congressman Josh Hoover approved an audit, but the findings released today are even worse than I expected.”
“Meanwhile, California has seen a 32 percent increase in homelessness over the past five years; Sacramento has seen a 67 percent increase; and half of the nation’s unsheltered homeless people now live in our state,” he continued. Ta.
He added, “California is spending more and more on homelessness, and the problem continues to get worse and worse. It’s far worse than anywhere else in America. It’s another example of how people make sacrifices and get the least in return.”
An audit of California’s spending on homelessness has finally been released, and the results are upsetting. “California has spent $24 billion over the past five years to combat homelessness, but has not consistently tracked whether the huge spending of public funds actually improved the situation.”
— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) April 9, 2024
State Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones called the findings “very disturbing.”
An audit of the $24 billion California spent on “eradicating homelessness” over the past five years is deeply concerning.
The audit revealed much because the Newsom administration failed to collect data, track spending, and assess effectiveness. There were essentially limitations…
— Brian W. Jones (@SenBrianJones) April 11, 2024
State Sen. Roger Niello, a Republican, also told Fox News that while the audit was “troubling,” he was “not really surprised.”
“One problem I felt with the audit was that it focused primarily on housing and shelter issues, which is certainly important, but not just putting people in shelters, but also putting people out of homelessness. There was very little mention of the actual outcome of rescuing people from the dead,” Niello told the outlet. . “It’s half the job, or maybe not half the job. So it was a little disappointing.”
Former MLB All-Star player steve garveySchiff, a Republican running for U.S. Senate against Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, said the state needs “real political courage to make the changes we need.”
“From day one, I have advocated for a federal audit of California’s homelessness crisis,” he said. “I’m glad the country has done this, but we need real political courage now to make the necessary changes. Our homeless people and taxpayers deserve no more policy. You deserve real results, not failures.”
Since day one, I have advocated for a federal audit of California’s homelessness crisis.
I’m glad the nation has done this, but now we need real political courage to make the necessary changes.
Unhoused people and taxpayers deserve real consequences, not more policy failures. https://t.co/4fMVdRCNPD pic.twitter.com/JhQnmITR05— Steve Garvey (@SteveyGarvey6) April 9, 2024
State Sen. Dave Cortese (D) joined in the state’s criticism of incompetence, saying the report “highlights the need for improved data and increased transparency at both the state and local level.” .
Cortese, who requested the audit after touring San Jose’s homeless encampments in 2023, went on to say that “the approach to data collection and results is fragmented and there is no centralized system to track investments.”
“This audit highlights the urgent need to establish best practices and create a blueprint for how California and our cities can address our most visible challenges. ” he added.
