After a bruising week that saw the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority lose a large chunk of its funding, the agency’s head announced Friday she will be stepping down.
Va Lecia Adams Kellum, who joined as the agency’s chief executive two years ago from L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ administration, had been fighting to preserve funding from L.A. County.
But earlier this week, county leaders voted to strip the agency’s funding in favor of channeling resources through a new county department they said would provide more oversight and accountability.
The county is currently the agency's largest funder, providing nearly $350 million a year. LAHSA’s next largest funder is the city of L.A., and city officials are also exploring an exit from funding the agency.
In recent months, multiple audits have found serious accounting and oversight issues at the agency. The most recent audit, released in March in connection with a lawsuit brought against the city and county of L.A., prompted U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter to describe officials’ failure to track billions of dollars in spending as “a slow train wreck.”
