A scathing new report by the California state auditor on governmental efforts to reduce homelessness put its emphasis where it needed to be. The auditor, Grant Parks, declared that he couldn’t really tell whether most homeless programs were working because so little useful data has been compiled on either spending or outcomes.
Parks’ complaint renewed focus on one of the central problems of the state’s work on the issue: California’s attempts to combat homelessness are so multipronged, with so many funding sources going to so many places, that it often appears nobody knows what’s working or even what is being spent. Tighter oversight and accountability are mandatory.
