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Audit committee adds financial-focused audit of Office of Homeless Services to 2025 plan
Summary
After extensive public comment and departmental responses, the Audit Committee voted to add a financial-focused audit of the Office of Homeless Services (OHS) to its plan, scoping the work to contract and financial operations raised by a council member; the motion passed by voice vote.
The Metro Audit Committee voted to add an audit of the Office of Homeless Services to its audit plan, scoped specifically to financial operations and contracting practices raised by Council member Welsh. Committee members approved the motion by voice vote after public comment and a staff briefing.
Council member Welsh, whose written request was included in committee materials, argued the audit is needed to answer basic questions about OHS finances and operational compliance — for example, how money was spent, whether processes were followed, and whether Housing First principles were applied in practice. "Please perform a comprehensive audit of the Office of Homeless Services," Welsh told the committee during the hearing packet presentation.
Director April Calvin, representing OHS, said the department is "pretty much an open book" and that OHS is "open to audits." Calvin described recent transparency efforts — monthly 20-slide reports to the Public Health and Safety Committee, public dashboards, and a recently completed single audit — and highlighted service outcomes, saying the office helped "3,800 individual faces" into housing over the last two years and operated an extended cold-weather shelter.
Committee discussion centered on scope. Internal Audit staff recommended focusing this new work on financial operations (contracts, purchase orders and associated controls), rather than re-examining service-delivery policies already covered by a 2023 audit and subsequent follow-ups. Committee Member (Speaker 16) moved to add the audit scoped to the financial items raised in the request; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.
Staff said adding the audit to the plan would likely delay the start of one audit already on the schedule but would not remove it permanently; the office would assign two auditors to complete concurrent work where possible. Internal Audit also noted it generally aims to review new departments within three to five years after they are stood up; OHS has been a standalone department for two years.
The committee's action directs Internal Audit to scope and execute a financial-focused audit of OHS. Staff will report back to the committee on final scope and scheduling. The committee did not set an exact start date at the meeting.
