California Stopped Tracking Billions in Homeless Spending, Audit Shows

As the state’s homeless population surges, the interagency council tasked with overseeing the effort has stopped collecting data.

A homeless encampment in Oakland, Calif., on March 25, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Despite spending more than $24 billion to combat the crisis over the past five years, California has seen its homeless population continue to surge, in tandem with a deadly overdose epidemic and deteriorating public safety in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Now, according to results of a statewide audit, it turns out no one knows how much is being spent on state-funded homelessness programs—or if any of them are working.