Reckoning: SJ Councilmembers call for audit of city's much-derided and strategically flawed homelessness programs
Even though SJ's City Manager and staff tried to wave away the blistering, devastating critique of the city's hugely expensive and ineffective homelessness programs by the State Auditor, SJ CM's Doan and Batra follow the path of fiscal responsibility by demanding an audit of the city's homelessness spend. Their press release excerpted below.
The proposed audit aims to define the city's responsibilities in addressing homelessness, examine the effectiveness of current practices, and explore options for improving the city's ability to prevent and address homelessness.
"We talk about homelessness over and over, year after year--for more than 25 years. But nothing changes," said Councilmember Doan in the recent May 14th study session. "The way this city addresses the homelessness crisis--structurally and programmatically--is a failure at this point…We keep going around in circles, playing these word games, patting ourselves on the back, saying we're doing a great job. Reality says different. Businesses are leaving. Residents are leaving. Children feel unsafe. And constituents are fed up."
Some highlights from the proposal include:
Defining the legal responsibilities of the city, county and state in addressing homelessness
Ensuring fiscal transparency and accountability with homelessness-related programs
Evaluating the potential benefits and challenges of consolidating homelessness-related services into a dedicated department
Assessing coordination of activities across departments, the County, and the City's service providers
San José was one of two cities investigated in the recent state audit at the request of Senator Dave Cortese, which found that despite significant investments, the homelessness rate in California continues to rise. The audit also highlighted the lack of consistent methods for tracking costs and outcomes of individual programs.
The proposal to conduct the audit comes amid growing concerns about the effectiveness of current homelessness response strategies and the need for greater accountability in the use of public funds. By undertaking this comprehensive review, San José aims to lead the way in developing data-driven, cost-effective solutions to address the homelessness crisis.
“The state audit by Senator Cortese raised significant concerns which need to be addressed by city administration. The constituents deserve a clear explanation of how funds were spent and what the outcomes were,” added Councilmember Batra. “By clearly defining our legal responsibilities, implementing sensible state audit recommendations, and evaluating our own internal structure, we preserve our commitments to accountability, transparency, and fiscal responsibility in the delivery of vital services to our constituents.”
More on Doan at 5.14 study session can be found here.
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