Office of Inspector General
City of Chicago
Report of the Office of Inspector General: *************************
Depar tment of Famil yand Suppor t Ser vices Homeless Ser vices A udit
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August 2015
866-IG-TIPLINE (866-448-4754)
Joseph M. Ferguson Inspector General
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
City of Chicago
740 N Sedgwick Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 telephone (773)478-7799 Fax- (773)478-3949
August 14,2015
To the Mayor, Members ofthe City Council, City Clerk, City Treasurer, and residents ofthe City of Chicago:
The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has completed an audit of the Department of Family and Support Services' (DFSS) homeless services. The audit reviewed how DFSS selected and monitored homeless service providers, called "delegate agencies," in 2013 and 2014. This audit, which follows a 2012 OIG examination of DFSS fiscal evaluation of agencies, looks specifically at DFSS's program monitoring practices.
Tn 2013-2014, DFSS spent approximately $60.0 million in taxpayer funds to provide homeless services to approximately 158,000 clients through 57 delegate agencies. Federal grants constituted the majority of those funds, which supported services to homeless individuals and families as well as persons at risk of becoming homeless.
OIG evaluated the Department's delegate agency application scoring process, program monitoring audits of delegate agencies, and methods for holding agencies accountable for program performance. We concluded that, due to multiple errors in DFSS's evaluation of Request for Proposal (RFP) respondents, DFSS may not have selected the most qualified agencies. In addition, because of gaps in the audit process, DFSS failed to hold agencies fully accountable for program inadequacies and inaccurate reporting.
The January 22, 2014 homeless census counted 6,294 homeless individuals staying in shelters or on the streets of Chicago. However, there are m...
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