The Los Angeles region will receive $380 million in state dollars to battle the problem of homelessness on the streets, part of an $827 million statewide grant award announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, Oct. 29 in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles County will get $97.4 million from the region award while the city of L.A. will receive $164.3 million, according to Newsom and local leaders. The state awards report shows that the city and county, with their partners, will receive $105 million.
Other cities included in the “LA region” grant are Long Beach and partners, $15 million; Pasadena and partners, $799,522; Glendale and partners: $280,408.
Some of the award money associated with each city is also going to organizations providing homeless services. The grant dollars aim to build more permanent housing, continue interim housing, and move more people from encampments into housing, according to the state Department of Housing and Community Development.
“We have to address the conditions on the sidewalk. People are dying and suffering on our watch. That is not who we are and not who we should be,” Newsom said. He spoke in Skid Row, near the Downtown Women’s Center, a group that works to help homeless women obtain shelter, wrap-around services and permanent housing.
The Center serves 5,000 people each year and supplied permanent housing for 1,000 women in the past five years, said Myong Kim, chief program officer. “Homelessness is solvable,” she said.
Results of the 2024 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count found the number of homeless in the county about the same as the previous year, about 75,312. Of those about 23,000 were women.
The number of unsheltered people living in tents, vehicles and makeshift shelters dropped by 5.1%, while people living in interim housing rose by 12.7%. The City of Los Angeles saw a 10.4% drop in unsheltered homelessness and 17.7% increase in sheltered homelessness.
“Our last homeless count showed the first reduction in unsheltered homeless in years. And we helped 25% more people move from interim to permanent housing,” said Va Lecia Adams Kellum, CEO of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).
A person walks past an encampment in Skid Row on Thursday, July 25, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
While agencies touted successes, Newsom said he recognized the frustration of Angelenos who see homeless men, women and children living on sidewalks or under freeways as they walk by with their children in tow. “While we are seeing progress in many parts of the state, no one is naive about the challenges. No one is denying how angry people are, how frustrated they are,” the governor said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who shared the podium with Newsom, emphasized that the number of unsheltered homeless in her city is down in part due to the city’s Inside Safe program.
“I was just at an Inside Safe spot in Pico/Union (neighborhood) and this morning we moved more than 30 Angelenos off the streets,” Bass said.
Newsom emphasized a two-pronged attack: dollars for housing and programs, plus new levels of coordination and dollars-tracking. These grants are from the fifth round of the state’s Homeless Housing and Assistance Prevention (HHAP) Program.
“HHAP funds for a Regional Action Plan for Los Angeles County are critical to accelerating and scaling housing, services, and care for people experiencing homelessness, while also supporting safe and clean public spaces,” noted Lindsey Horvath, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in an emailed response.
Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn mentioned the county’s Pathway Home program working arm-in-arm with Bass’ Inside Safe.
“For the first time in years our homeless count is down. We cannot let up and we need to double and triple down on the strategies that are working like Inside Safe and Pathway Home,” Hahn said in an emailed response.
Grant recipients had to provide a plan showing how they would coordinate with agencies, county and city governments. Awardees must report monthly fiscal progress on the California Housing and Community Development’s (HCD) website, through the HHAP fiscal dashboard. Outcomes will also be uploaded to the California Homeless Data Integration System on a quarterly basis, the state reported.
Grants applied for by Anaheim and Orange County were held back by the state for more analysis to ensure they meet state standards, Newsom said. “Their unique proposals require an additional level of scrutiny,” Newsom said, but did not elaborate.
Newsom said programs should prioritize getting people off the streets and sleeping indoors, part of what many call a pro-housing framework.
He emphasized moving people out of encampments and providing shelter and services. Earlier this year, Newsom unleashed $1 billion from Encampment Resolution Funds to address homelessness and help local government address homeless encampments.
Additionally, Newsom has begun enforcing new housing starts city-by-city, as part of his homeless prevention strategy by adding to the affordable housing stock. He mentioned enforcement actions in Norwalk and Huntington Beach.
The Norwalk City Council extended a moratorium — first approved in August — that banned emergency shelters and supportive housing for an additional 10 months on Sept, 17, a day after the California Department of Housing and Community Development issued a notice of violation against the city and Newsom decried the city’s actions as “immoral.”
The state sued the city of Huntington Beach, accusing the city of violating housing laws by not planning for more units to get built. A San Diego Superior Court judge issued a stay on the lawsuit on Sept. 19.
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