AUDIT COMMITTEE SUMMARY
August 23, 2018
Audit of Department of Human Services Haven for Hope Contract Administration
Report Issued March 2, 2018
Audit Objective
Determine if the DHS contract administration of delegate agencies within the Haven for Hope campus is effective to ensure compliance with key contract terms and the accuracy of performance measures.
Background
Haven for Hope is a non-profit organization with a mission of providing, coordinating and delivering an efficient system of care for people experiencing homelessness in Bexar County.
In fiscal year 2017, the City of San Antonio (COSA) budgeted approximately $7 million from its general fund and grant allocation for Haven for Hope and its related campus partners. Haven for Hope, Center for Health Care Services, Family Violence Prevention Services, and the San Antonio Food Bank provide a wide range of services to campus residents. Services include a safe and secure environment; assistance with obtaining employment through education and training opportunities; health resources such as counseling, medication stabilization, and psychiatric assessments; and food services.
COSA’s Department of Human Services (DHS) is responsible for administering and monitoring contract deliverables, paying agency invoices, and tracking performance measures.
Audit Scope & Methodology
The audit scope included services provided by Haven for Hope and its campus partners between October 2015 and May 2017.
We interviewed key personnel from the Department of Human Services (DHS), Haven for Hope, Center for Health Care Services, and Family Violence Prevention Services. We reviewed city contracts, balanced scorecard performance plans, and the DHS monitoring processes in place performed by the contract and fiscal monitors.
Audit Conclusions
DHS has established policies and procedures to monitor contract compliance with the Haven for Hope delegate agency contracts. Monthly, bi-annual, annual, and end of contract reviews are conducted by contract monitors to validate the accuracy of performance measures reported by the agencies.
Although contract monitors are performing the required reviews, we determined that the annual program performance, biannual in-depth, and end of contract reviews conducted need improvement. Specifically, we noted that the reviews performed are not adequate to ensure that self-reported data is accurate and performance issues are communicated to the respective agencies. In addition, supporting documentation used to complete the reviews is not kept on file by the contract monitors. Furthermore, DHS managers are approving internal review forms completed by contract monitors without verifying the accuracy and completeness of the reviews.
We made recommendations to address the issues. The Department of Human Services concurred with the recommendations and developed positive corrective action plans.