Serving ramen to the homeless isn’t good enough, L.A. city controller says
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City investigators found that a contractor who was supposed to be providing regular meals to homeless people in Los Angeles was instead serving mostly cheap instant ramen noodles.
Controller Kenneth Mejia released a preliminary report on Friday alleging that the unidentified contractor committed fraud and misused taxpayer dollars. He said investigators with his office’s Fraud, Waste and Abuse (FWA) unit visited the location after receiving a hotline tip.
They found the service provider’s inventory “consisted almost entirely of instant ramen noodles … The small remaining portion of other food inventory consisted only of instant oatmeal, canned soup, canned corn, and canned refried beans,” officials said in a statement.
Investigators also found the ramen varieties were limited to beef, chicken and shrimp and did not accommodate other diets or dietary restrictions. What little fresh food the contractor had was donated, investigators said.
“Taxpayer money goes heavily into homeless services in our city,” Mejia said. “Angelenos should be able to reasonably expect their investment to return decent meals for our unhoused neighbors – not instant ramen for almost every meal.”
The contractor received funds through L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’s Inside Safe program, which aims to move tens of thousands of homeless people off the streets and into transitional housing.
The city’s budget for homeless services is approximately $950 million.
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Mejia said the city’s Homeless Services Authority, LAHSA, is now requiring the contractor to provide three nutritious meals a day.
“We are encouraged that LAHSA took quick action to correct the immediate situation. We will continue our investigation into the allegation of contractor fraud, including determining their contractual obligations and how they used taxpayer dollars,” said Mejia.
Experts say instant noodles, while enjoyed by many people worldwide, have limited nutritional value and tend to be loaded with sodium.
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