B.C.'s auditor general has released a scathing report about the province's strategy for dealing with the homeless.

The document, titled 'Homelessness: Clear Focus Needed,' says the government has failed to take the lead in dealing with a key problem, and "does not have a clear strategy for reducing homelessness."

John Doyle says a co-ordinated, long-term effort is needed by all three levels of government to reduce homelessness, and B.C. has failed on many levels.

Related: Read entire homelessness report

Doyle describes the province's goals and objectives being "poorly defined," which has led to a lack of accountability.

He is recommending the creation of a central agency that can gather information about the homeless in a cohesive way, and says the homeless population has grown steadily since B.C. started focusing on the issue in 2004.

Doyle asserts the government needs to beef up services for the homeless, including taking steps "to ensure people leaving health care services, child protection and correctional facilities are not homeless upon their release."

On Tuesday, the B.C. government announced it is moving much of the bureaucracy around the homeless issue to one ministry that will be in charge of measuring success by finding homes for the homeless.

Housing and Social Development Minister Rich Coleman said his ministry will hold much of the power when it comes to finding ways to house and help the thousands of homeless people across the province.

Coleman said the new Homelessness Intervention Project will be responsible for co-ordinating provincial and community social housing and support services, including health and income assistance for the chronically homeless in five communities.

The goal of the project is to reduce chronic homelessness in Vancouver, Surrey, Victoria, Kelowna and Prince George.

Opposition NDP housing critic Jenny Kwan pointed out the government made the announcement two days before Doyle released his report after years of failing to do anything constructive to deal with homelessness.

"Frankly, the government would have known that this report was coming and it was their attempt to deflect the criticisms of the auditor general," she said of this week's announcement.

"I think it's a little late in terms of the government's action."

Kwan said Premier Gordon Campbell promised local governments at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in 2004 that his government would tackle homelessness.

"The government doesn't even know how many people are homeless today on the streets of British Columbia, who are the people who are homeless on the streets of British Columbia and what's causing them to be homeless."

Kwan said the NDP built 1,200 affordable housing units a year between 1993 and 2001, when it was defeated by the Liberals.

"Even in good times the (Liberals) couldn't address the homelessness crisis let alone now when the economy's soft."

With files from The Canadian Press