Audit: MN Human Services Dept didn’t adequately oversee grant to homeless, others

A legislative auditor’s report concludes the state Human Services Department did not adequately oversee distribution of tens of millions of dollars in grants to the homeless and others needing housing assistance. The audit found weaknesses in the agency’s internal controls and violations of the state’s legal requirements. Commissioner Jodi Harpstead says the Human Services Department has been “working diligently” to improve its grant-making process, but adds it’s important to consider the pressures her agency faced during the pandemic to provide assistance to people in need. Deputy House Minority Leader, North Branch Republican Anne Neu Brindley says, “Waste, fraud, and abuse have plagued DHS programs for years, and once again an audit has found that the Walz administration failed to protect taxpayer dollars.”