Audit finds inefficient system responsible for leaving available shelter beds empty

A new audit conducted by the LA Controller's Office found that the agency in charge of tracking shelter beds makes it nearly impossible to find what shelter space is available, leaving people who could potentially be housed, out on the street.

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority is the agency in charge of coordinating housing services for the homeless in LA County.

Auditors found the system that LAHSA was using to track how many shelter beds were available, was ineffective and inefficient.

"What we found is that those data systems are broken," said Sergio Perez, Chief of Accountability and Oversight, "Instead of having a computerized, digitized software that would allow them to track beds, its emails and phone calls."

People experiencing homelessness and the outreach workers trying to assist them with housing are having to call around and wait for a response.

According to Perez, about 50% of those phone calls were unanswered, leaving people who needed a bed without any options.

In 2023, the Greater Los Angeles Homeless count revealed an estimated 46,260 people in the city were experiencing homelessness, nearly tripling the number of beds available, 16,100.

The audit calls on LAHSA to require its housing partners to provide updated shelter availability data.

LAHSA responded to the audit with a statement saying they were in the process of configuring a new system.

"The Controller’s report comes at a time when LAHSA is already working on the next generation of its bed availability system. By December 31, 2024, we will fully implement the new system, which will encompass detailed tracking of sites, buildings, units, and beds,”

Perez hopes the community doesn't have to wait a year to get a system that works well.

The Controller's Office created a demo app as an example of what can be done but said it's missing the data to power it and only LAHSA can provide it.