CONFUSION DELAYED REPAIRS IN SHELTERS, AUDIT SAYS
At some facilities, it was unclear who was responsible for requests
A performance audit of the San Diego Housing Commission found some homeless shelters and other facilities operated by the city are in disrepair, with some hazardous conditions existing for months because of confusion about who is responsible for them.
Overall, the performance audit presented to the city’s Audit Committee on Wednesday gave a positive report on the commission. It also shed light on the city’s recent decision to wind down a homeless shelter Father Joe’s Villages has operated at Golden Hall since 2019.
An inspection last October found mold on the ceiling of one of Golden Hall’s two Americans with Disability Act-compliant showers, requiring it to be shut down for two months. Inspectors also
found damaged ceiling tiles that could be hazardous and a ripped privacy mesh at the showers at the city-owned venue. In 15 site visits at different facilities, inspectors found a broken HVAC system at one of the large tented shelters, a broken window at the Homelessness Resource Center and a broken streetlight at a safe parking site operated by the city.
The audit found that uncertainty and disagreements about who was responsible for repairs led to delays in fixing problems at various sites.
“City staff informed us that determining responsibility between city departments also causes delays,” the audit states. “For example, auditors noticed a broken streetlight that caused a safety risk at a safe parking facility. When asked about the status, city staff said the repair was delayed due to ‘back and forth’ between two city departments on who was responsible for both fixing the light and clearing brush necessary to access the light.”
The audit found different parties sometimes are responsible for different types of maintenance at the same site. As an ex
ample, the audit cited a memorandum of understanding that states the Housing Commission is responsible for maintaining portable toilets and restrooms at the tented shelters while the city is responsible for structural maintenance and repairs.
In another example, Father Joe’s Villages is responsible for waste, damage or destruction at Golden Hall, but there is a disagreement about who is responsible for vandalism caused by shelter residents.
As a result, a service request to fix a broken outlet was submitted to the city Aug. 23, but the city did not request a work order because staff members believed the damage was caused by vandalism, so fixing it was considered the responsibility of Father Joe’s Villages.
The outlet finally was fixed when the city contracted a third party to do the work five months later.
Repairing damaged ceiling tiles at Golden Hall took even longer. The audit stated the Housing Commission notified the city of the problem March 22, 2022, but auditors visiting the venue last October found repairs had not been made. The ceiling finally was fixed in November after it and other needed repairs were noticed by workers who were at the venue to fix a roof leak that caused the temporary evacuation of the building.
City officials last week announced that the Golden Hall shelter program would wind down because even more upgrades to the building would be required to qualify it as a permanent shelter. In coming years, the venue and surrounding buildings may be razed under a proposed redevelopment plan.
Staff members have recommended the city’s Homeless Strategies and Solutions Department coordinate inspections of San Diego’s homelessness facilities and complete any identified maintenance needs.
In another recommendation, the department was requested to develop a documented procedure for tracking maintenance requests between providers, the Housing Commission and city departments, with the procedure including estimated timelines and communication of progress to all stakeholders.
Homeless Strategies and Solutions Department Director Hafsa Kaka attended the presentation and said the recommendations would be accepted and the department would work on improvements.
The audit report noted the department already has made progress, with one example being a new “text bot” that will help track service requests across different agencies.
City staff members also made recommendations to avoid entering into contracts with parties that have a conflict of interest. The issue arose after the Housing Commission discovered a real estate broker had a financial interest in a hotel he recommended the commission purchase. The city sued, and the case was settled last year.
The Housing Commission has agreed to implement city staff’s recommendations to collect public disclosure statements from all current and future sole source contracts, meaning contracts issued without a competitive bid process that are over $50,000.
The city and San Diego Housing Commission budgeted more than $170 million on homeless services in the fiscal year that ends in July.
Of the funding, $28.8 million came from the city’s general fund, $39.9 million came from state funds, $4.1 million came from federal funds and $99.9 million came from other sources. Some of the funds have been used directly by the city to fund homeless services, but most of the funds are managed by the Housing Commission, which procures contractors to provide most homelessness services.
The committee accepted the audit report, which will be forwarded to the full City Council.