Hawaiʻi State Audit Reveals Over $13 Million in Questionable Spending for Homelessness Program
A state audit conducted by State Auditor Les Kondo has revealed at least $13.7 million in unauthorized or questionable expenditures within Hawaiʻi Governor Josh Green's signature homelessness initiative, the kauhale program. The audit found that the state Office of Housing and Homelessness Solutions (SOHHS) entrusted the program to HomeAid Hawaiʻi, a small nonprofit, which was ill-equipped to manage tens of millions of taxpayer dollars. The SOHHS itself lacked the institutional capacity and technical expertise to properly oversee the contracts. The audit identified numerous irregularities, including payments for housing units that were not built or modular units whose delivery to Hawaiʻi could not be confirmed, nearly $1 million for HomeAid's operating costs, and over $600,000 for marketing. Other questionable expenses included unauthorized travel, payments to HomeAid employees without required timesheets, and nearly $80,000 to rent an ocean-view condominium. Governor Green acknowledged the audit's finding...
