By Dr. Susan McLaughlin, Acting Director of DCHS
In 2020, the department’s priority was clear: Get resources to the community quickly and provide relief throughout the health emergency and into recovery. The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) moved fast to deliver critical funding—from rental assistance to isolation and quarantine facilities—across the region when it mattered most. DCHS expanded partnerships with smaller, community-based organizations—trusted groups with deep roots in the neighborhoods they serve and a proven ability to connect people to the services they need.
Moving quickly also meant increasing the number of contracted providers, contracts, and direct services, on top of standing up facilities, including permanent supportive housing, and deintensification shelters all in real time. As a recent audit highlighted, the department now must act urgently and improve the foundation that supports this work.
Over the past five years, DCHS has grown rapidly. The department’s budget has doubled, and the scale of programs has expanded. With that growth comes a responsibility to ensure we have necessary functions, staffing, policies, and procedures in place to support this critical work, and to see that every dollar invested most effectively serves the region. We are now strengthening internal controls so that communities can continue to receive these resources, while also ensuring greater oversight, transparency, and accountability. Many of these efforts align directly with Executive Girmay Zahilay’s new Executive Order to strengthen financial oversight and improve accountability Countywide.
Here’s how the department is taking action, and you can learn more about all the progress we’ve made on our Financial Stewardship Webpage:
New Policies and Procedures that Strengthen Oversight
A new Contract Compliance Policy includes steps staff should take if anyone—internally or externally—raises an issue or concern with how funds are being spent. Over 300 staff are now trained to use and enforce this policy, and the department is tracking follow through and awareness across leadership.
In line with the auditor’s recommendations, by the end of this month, the department will have in place nine new policies and procedures that strengthen fiscal stewardship. These policies include:
- Enforcement of current Terms and Conditions involving subcontract review and approval
- General invoice verification and processing
- When amendments are required
- Managing stipend payments
- Managing prepaid card logs
- Addressing over or underspend for contracts using the hybrid payment model
- Contract termination process
- Eligibility standards and minimum requirements for contractors
- Managing documentation related to contracts and invoices
Lastly, as of last summer, several priority staff completed Anti-Fraud Training. But now, Anti-Fraud Training will be expanded to all department staff. Starting April 1, DCHS will require that all staff complete this training and that it is taken every year from here on out.
Expanding the Team to Deliver Stronger Results
As programs and funding have grown rapidly, staffing levels have not kept pace. Effective oversight requires people with the time and expertise to manage programs, contracts, monitor spending, and ensure results. In the 2026-2027 budget, the department requested—and received—approval for 20 additional staff, including program managers and fiscal compliance specialists who will strengthen oversight, improve program delivery, and ensure public funds are managed responsibly.
We also continue to add and recruit staff, including:
- A new Contract Management Learning and Development Manager whose workplan includes training all staff with contract management roles on the new policies and procedures being implemented and developing and documenting standard department-wide contract management requirements, including processes and expectations around service delivery and performance.
- A Chief Compliance Officer to oversee and manage the department’s internal and external compliance, including program effectiveness, contracting policies and procedures, and investigations.
DCHS is currently analyzing specific functions the department needs, and how many more staff will be needed, and additional requests will be made through the supplemental budget in the coming months.
Support for Contracted Providers
Contracted providers are critical to the services and resources available across the County. The department is proud to contract with smaller community-based organizations who have a deep understanding of the needs of the communities they serve. At the same time, many small organizations do not have the capacity or experience with government contracting, which means that the department has a responsibility to provide more support.
This month, a three-part provider training will go live and cover key topics to support contractors:
- DCHS Contracting Overview Training
- Financial Management and Best Practices Training
- DCHS Fiscal Contract Compliance Training
Improving Service Delivery
One gap the department is working to address is how teams track service delivery across contracts. Because each contract is unique, the way information is documented and monitored can vary—even though multiple checks and balances exist to verify that services are delivered. To bring greater consistency and transparency, Agiloft (the department’s lifecycle management system) will help the department standardize how contractor and program performance is tracked, ensuring documentation—including service delivery—is captured consistently across contracts.
Stay Up to Date
Each year, our department serves hundreds of thousands of people through housing support, behavioral health services, child care, and programs for veterans and people with disabilities. Behind every number is a person, a family, and a community counting on us to deliver.
I’m incredibly proud of what our staff and contracted providers accomplish every day, often under challenging circumstances. Together, we are committed to better governance, reinforcing a culture of accountability, and ensuring our systems work as they should. We owe it to our staff, our providers, and the communities we serve to be responsible stewards of public resources. That responsibility guides our work every day—and it is the commitment I make to you.
You can learn more about our work to be stronger financial stewards by visiting DCHS’ website: Strengthening financial stewardship – King County, Washington.