Audit Finds Problems at Group Homes

A group home in Hollywood operated by the Salvation Army for children with emotional or behavioral problems is just “marginally maintained,” with dirty walls, torn carpet and gang writing in the bathrooms, a Los Angeles County audit found.

The facility, called The Way In, also had broken furniture in some rooms and a faulty air duct, according to the report by county Auditor-Controller J. Tyler McCauley.

The audit cited problems at other facilities as well. Gardner House -- operated by the Linden Center, a nonprofit mental health organization based in Los Angeles -- did not have a sufficient supply of fresh fruits and vegetables for the children who lived there, and food was improperly stored, according to the report. The facility also had dirty walls in the bedrooms, cracks in the shower stall and a sheet instead of a curtain or blind covering a child’s bedroom window.

Keniston House, also operated by the Linden Center, had cracks in the walls and peeling paint. One child’s bedroom had insufficient light. Auditors also said food was improperly stored.