LA Examiner

Tag: homeless

  • L.A. Introduces New Program to Keep Homeless Veterans Inside

    L.A. Introduces New Program to Keep Homeless Veterans Inside

    Image credit: Unsplash

    Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis have all teamed together to launch a new initiative to bring more homeless Veterans inside and off the streets. 

    Today’s new initiative follows some surprising numbers released last week by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. These numbers show that while homelessness is up 18 percent nationally, it is down in Los Angeles specifically. In fact, L.A. has seen a 10 percent reduction in street homelessness. Furthermore, last year, Veteran homelessness also decreased by 23 percent in Los Angeles and reached a record low nationwide.

    “Our work to change the old and failed way of doing things is why we’re able to launch this new initiative and is why after years of increases locally and nationally, we’re bucking the trend and bringing homelessness down in LA,” said Mayor Bass. 

    “For too long, too many in government have accepted people living on the street. I do not accept the humanitarian crisis on our streets, especially when it comes to Angelenos who have served and sacrificed their bodies for our country. This initiative will help connect Veterans with property owners who will benefit from guaranteed rent payments and tenants who have proven themselves to be honorable and reliable. If you have apartments available, join us in this patriotic effort to save lives.”

    Support from the VA

    “We are ecstatic at the VA to support this initiative,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “I have every confidence, as we say every day at VA, when we end homelessness for Veterans in Los Angeles, we will have shown America how to do it, and we are committed to making sure this gets done—today’s commitment to reach out to property owners, Mom-and-Pop landlords to get them to work with us as we do a better job executing our regulations. We are all in and we will not rest until every Veteran has precisely what she or he deserves, which is a dignified housing arrangement. So I thank you. We are thrilled to be part of this. We are committed to seeing this through.”

    “I was sleeping in my car after I lost my job, but then I was able to get connected to services and find an apartment that accepted my federal housing voucher. I’m so grateful for the stability that having an apartment has provided me. I want to encourage any Veterans who are living on the streets to reach out and get help today, and I want to ask property owners in L.A. to consider being part of this new initiative launched by Mayor Bass and help more Veterans like me get housed,” said U.S. Navy Veteran Harold Hicks.

    How to Aid the Campaign

    The campaign launched by Mayor Bass and Secretary McDonough calls on every sector in Los Angeles to get involved:

    Unhoused Vets

    If you are an unhoused Veteran in need of support and housing assistance, call 310-268-3350 to get started.

    Property Owners

    Mayor Bass has worked with the VA, the Housing Authority of the City of L.A. (HACLA), and the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA) to focus staff on referring and processing more eligible Veterans to be placed in permanent housing. Under the direction of HACLA’s new leadership, more support is being provided to rental housing providers and property owners throughout the application process and also after tenants have moved in. If you want to rent to unhoused Veterans and you have units available or want more information about renting your units to Vets, email [email protected].

    Culture Leaders and Media Partners

    The mayor’s office needs help spreading the word about increasing the number of units open to Veterans. To get involved, email [email protected].

  • Officials Call for Homelessness Response Reform

    Officials Call for Homelessness Response Reform

    Image credit: Unsplash

    On November 19th, the results of an audit of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), requested by Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath in February, were publicly released. The audit found various issues, including lax accounting procedures, failing to reclaim millions of dollars in cash advances to contractors, and paying other contractors on time.

    In response, Supervisor Horvath is forwarding a motion to create a new county department to consolidate homelessness contracting within the county. LA. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who sits on the council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee, has since cut ties with the agency.

    Audit Reveals Accounting Deficiencies at the LA Homeless Authority

    The Los Angeles Times reported that the February-issued audit found that the LAHSA needed to establish clear policies on how and when advances to contractors should be paid. Auditor-Controller Oscar.

    In the 57-paid audit, the agency must consistently maintain records for capital advances and provide an accurate list of all contracts and their execution dates.

    Additionally, the audit found that the LAHSA had recovered only $2.5 million of the $50.8 million in Measure H funds advanced in the 2017-18 fiscal year. 

    As of July, the agency had $8 million outstanding from advances from county, city, and state programs made from 2016 to 2023.

    Horvath Calls for a New County-Run Department

    According to an article by The Los Angeles Times, on November 19th, Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath reacted to the audit results by calling for a new county department. Currently, the LAHSA is a city-county joint powers agency. Horvath’s proposed department would consolidate homelessness contracting with the county.

    “The audit findings underscore the urgent need for greater accountability in our homeless services system,” Horvath said. “LAHSA plays an important role, but the current structure is not meeting the scale of this crisis.”

    Rodriguez Introduces New Motion, Cuts Ties to LAHSA. As LAist reported, LA City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez introduced a motion on November 22nd to direct city staff to investigate ways the city could directly contract with service providers and bypass the LAHSA. 

    Councilmember Rodriguez currently sits on the council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee. This new motion signifies her apparent intention to cut ties with the LAHSA following the release of the problematic audit. 

    Rodriguez cited the audit’s findings in a statement, criticizing the practice of providing public funds without contracts and established metrics. “Now is the time for a centralized, transparent system that maximizes taxpayer dollars, saves lives, and addresses homelessness with the focus it deserves,” Rodriguez stated.

    Greater LA Homelessness Shows Decline in 2024 

    Although the audit for the LAHSA revealed apparent mishandling of funds, reports of homelessness in the greater LA area have shown a decline in homeless populations for 2024.

    According to Fox 11, the 2024 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count measured a slight decrease in homelessness after six years of steady increases. The LAHSA reported in June a .27% decline in overall homelessness countywide and a reduction in unsheltered homelessness of 5.1% in the county and 12.7% in the city of LA.

    Paul Rubenstein, LAHSA deputy chief of external relations, made statements regarding the report, attributing the downward trend to “unprecedented policy alignment and investments.”

    As this optimistic report was released before the public release of the February audit, the impact of the audit and possible reorganization of LA homelessness response on unhoused populations remains to be seen. According to the report, these populations include 75,312 unhoused people in the county and 45,252 unhoused in LA.