(The Center Square) – A state lawmaker says “well-intended but ineffective” homeless aid programs have “frittered away” taxpayer dollars. She is proposing legislation to seek more accountability.

"As Washington state continues to pump more money into homeless programs and services, it's hard to tell if a positive impact is being made," state Rep. Jenny Graham, R-Spokane, said in a press release Monday. "Constituents in my district are asking me where's the bang for their buck? They know that state and local governments are spending millions and yet don't see the results.”

Graham said she intends to introduce a bill in Washington’s upcoming legislative session that would require recipients of grant funding for homeless housing and assistance programs to submit annual plans revealing their goals and targets for the next year.

Graham said her proposal would include showing the number of people expected to be helped out of homelessness, how much money per individual would be spent moving them into housing, and the time each individual remained housed at taxpayer expense.

Graham said the state auditor would conduct annual performance audits of all homeless housing and assistance grant programs. If grantees are out of compliance, they would not be able to apply for future grants, she said.

"This bill is about accountability. Where is all this money going? Who is spending it? How are they spending it? And is it an efficient use of taxpayer dollars?" said Graham, adding, “These are questions that need to be answered."

The lawmaker said grant recipients should welcome increased scrutiny of their programs.

"There are good apples and bad apples in all industries and work environments," she said. "The bad apples know who they are and, frankly, so do the good ones. The folks that are out there working hard to end our homeless epidemic should welcome the opportunity to shine the light of accountability on those who seek easy dollars instead of the hard work of ending homelessness."

Julie Garcia agrees.

“This is a much-needed policy. Homeless funding needs an overhaul,” said Garcia, executive director of Jewels Helping Hands, a nonprofit provider of homeless services in Spokane.

“We ask for accountability on the part of the clients, but do not require accountability on the part of the service providers,” Garcia said in an emailed reply to The Center Square. “State funding has stricter requirements and many checks and balances. City funding is a joke.”

Last November, the Washington State Auditor’s Office issued a performance report saying local governments should be more data-driven and focused on results.

“When contractors failed to perform or meet goals, local governments rarely held them accountable,” the SAO stated. “Factors outside providers’ controls, such as housing shortages, can affect their ability to hit targets. However, the audit found local governments did not use strategies that could help them improve provider performance, despite these challenges.”

For example, said the auditor’s office, local governments could include language in contracts that requires providers who do not meet benchmarks to work together on improvement plans.

“Homelessness is an undeniably complex issue, but there are steps local governments can take to ensure they see maximum results from their investments,” said State Auditor Pat McCarthy.

According to Washington’s Office of Financial Management, the state has allocated more than $2.4 billion toward a wide range of efforts to reduce homelessness and address a growing housing shortage through partnerships with local communities and organizations.

The Washington Department of Commerce oversees multiple programs using state and federal funds for services that include street outreach, emergency shelter, services for homeless students, rental assistance, housing search and placement, and funding for landlords.

In 2022, a statewide, one-day “Point in Time Count” found more than 25,400 people living outside or in shelters across Washington.

Graham said drug use, crime, and the closing of stores, shops, and restaurants “all go hand-in-hand” with the homeless epidemic in Spokane and across the state.

"We need to have further accountability measures in place to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not being frittered away to well-intentioned but ineffective programs,” she said.

Washington’s upcoming 60-day legislative session in Olympia begins on Monday, Jan. 8 and is scheduled to end on Thursday, March 7.