King County officials call for accountability following 'damning' audit of community, family services Ruby de Luna September 08, 2025 / 5:43 pm

King County officials are calling for more accountability in light of a recent auditor's report on the Department of Community and Human Services .

The auditor’s report titled — "Department of Community and Human Services Needs to Strengthen Financial Stewardship" — found a lack of oversight at DCHS, which allowed improper payments to contractors for youth programs. It also noted that grants disbursals ballooned to $1.5 billion in 2023 and 2024, compared to $22 million in 2019 and 2020.

"Amid rapid growth in grant funding, DCHS did not consistently apply internal controls, resulting in improper payments, including potential fraud, acros

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