State Errors Led To $13M+ In Improper Homeless Spending In Hawaii, Audit Says
The audit said SOHHS lacked controls and qualified staff as HomeAid’s revenue surged to $142.9 million, leaving millions in payments unsupported or unauthorized.
- Released Wednesday, state Auditor Les Kondo identified more than $13.7 million in unauthorized or questionable payments tied to Governor Josh Green's signature kauhale homeless initiative.
- The Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions assumed responsibility for multimillion-dollar public works contracts without the staff, technical expertise, or internal controls needed to administer them effectively.
- Auditors identified more than $7.7 million in unauthorized costs and nearly $5 million in questionable charges, including payments for unbuilt housing units and insider transactions involving HomeAid Hawaii CEO Kimo Carvalho's relatives.
- Governor Green disputed the 'unauthorized' characterization, yet SOHHS accepted all 11 audit recommendations and ordered HomeAid to implement fiscal controls and recover misspent funds.
- The audit recommends SOHHS retain independent construction consultants to oversee contracts, as the Nov general election approaches and experts warn that development speed must not outrun financial accountability.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Associated Press News
State Errors Led To $13M+ In Improper Homeless Spending In Hawaii, Audit Says
In a rush to stem an accelerating homelessness crisis, Gov. Josh Green’s administration put its signature program to address the issue in the hands of a small nonprofit ill-equipped to properly account for tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money it was spending, overseen by a state agency equa
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
West Hawaii TodayState audit blasts spending on Green’s kauhale initiative
More than $13.7 million in state payments for Gov. Josh Green’s signature kauhale homeless initiative were “unauthorized, unsupported or questionable,” according to the highly critical, long-awaited state audit of Hawaii’s oversight of kauhale construction.
State audit flags $13.7 million in Kauhale payments
A state audit found that the Hawaii Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions lacked necessary oversight for its Kauhale Initiative, identifying over $13.7 million in unauthorized or questionable payments to nonprofit partner HomeAid Hawaii.
State audit questions more than $13.7 million in spending on Hawaiʻi's kauhale housing initiative
A new state audit has identified more than $13.7 million in unauthorized, unsupported or questionable payments tied to Gov. Josh Green's kauhale housing initiative, raising serious concerns about how taxpayer money was managed.
Editorial: Clean up kauhale’s messy operations | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
A significant, necessary tightening of the state’s ambitious but financially sloppy kauhale homelessness initiative is underway, and not a moment too soon. Facing scathing scrutiny by the state auditor, the State Office of Homelessness and Housing Solutions (SOHHS) has ordered vendor HomeAid Hawaii to quickly fix “recurring, systemic noncompliance issues” regarding payment invoices — and HomeAid CEO Kimo Carvalho says it has complied, including …
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