DALLAS (AP) — An internal audit says Dallas officials have done a poor job of keeping an eye on people and agencies they’ve tasked with helping the homeless.
The Dallas City Council received the report Friday. The audit is the latest account of Dallas’ struggle to address a growing homeless population, the Dallas Morning News reported.The report said a lack of city oversight of the nonprofit Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance has led to millions of dollars probably being left on the table that could have gone toward sheltering the homeless.
The audit also said the Homeless Management Information System, the nonprofit’s recently implemented centralized database, is incomplete and fails to consider the varying needs of the homeless service providers.
The Bridge is a homeless service provider downtown that serves about 7,000 people per year. The audit said the provider was “pushed to the brink” and nearly closed its doors twice this year after the city withheld $4 million in funding due to incomplete documentation.
City officials said the audit only confirmed what they already knew, and said they’re already implementing changes.
“From my understanding of previous audits, and not just in the homeless area, it’s clear we don’t always cross our t’s and dot our i’s and our policies and processes are sometimes lacking,” said T.C. Broadnax, city manager. “I look forward to implementing the things that were recommended and we agreed to, and working more closely with our providers and our own internal departments to do a better job at how we deal with homelessness in this community.”
