Purpose of Audit

The purpose of our audit was to examine the County’s administration of the temporary housing program for the period January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2014.

Background

The County of Otsego is located in Central New York State and has approximately 62,000 residents. The County is governed by an elected 14-member Board of Representatives. The County’s Department of Social Services provides temporary housing for eligible individuals and families, for which the program cost in 2013 and 2014 totaled almost $1.9 million.

Key Findings

• County officials have not taken steps to effectively manage costs.
• The County’s temporary housing costs per capita and average cost per night are higher than in four neighboring counties.

Key Recommendations

• Develop criteria and establish goals for successful program performance and collect the relevant data necessary to monitor the program’s performance against those goals.
• Contact neighboring counties to identify critical differences in the strategies employed for temporary housing.