(Bloomberg) -- California has devoted $24 billion to homelessness programs during the last five years. The problem’s only gotten worse. 

Since 2019, homelessness in the state rose by almost 20% to more than 181,000. California also has the nation’s highest share of “unsheltered” homeless, or people living in makeshift encampments or cars rather than indoor shelters. 

Now, confirming what many Californians undoubtedly suspected, the state auditor issued a report questioning the effectiveness of all that spending. One example: The audit revealed that the California Interagency Council on Homelessness, the state’s key coordinating body, hasn’t maintained up-to-date financial tracking since 2021.

The council “has neither ensured the accuracy of the information in the state data system, nor has it used this information to evaluate homelessness programs’ success,” the auditor’s office said. 

The report casts doubt on California’s ability to address one of its most intractable problems – and spending is only set to continue. The state and its municipalities have raised billions of dollars to fund homelessness programs, in part by raising sales taxes and selling bonds. In March, Governor Gavin Newsom narrowly won voter approval for a more than $6 billion bond initiative to battle drug addiction and mental illness, as well as build more affordable housing. 

To many observers, the closeness of that vote suggests growing public frustration over the state’s costly efforts to alleviate the crisis and its track record of mixed results. 

According to the audit, only two of five programs assessed in detail were probably cost-effective. One converts motels and other existing buildings into homes, while the other provides financial housing assistance to at-risk families. Auditors couldn’t determine the efficacy of the other three. 

To identify which programs are worth funding and replicating, state auditor Grant Parks urged the California Legislature to require government agencies to report the costs and results of spending on homelessness. The interagency homelessness council agreed with the recommendations and identified steps to implement them, according to the report.

The council is working to enhance data collection with local jurisdictions to measure outcomes more effectively, said Russ Heimerich, a spokesman for the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, which oversees the homelessness council. 

“The council continues to improve its ability to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent judiciously and effectively, including by providing technical support to local jurisdictions to help align data standards and reporting,” he said. 

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