By james art Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and the cities of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Glendale and Pasadena are poised to implement a shared regional action plan to coordinate housing and service efforts to help people to leave homelessness, providing comprehensive services and restoring public spaces to their original purpose.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development awarded these collaborating organizations a total of $380 million in the fifth round of its Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) grant program to develop and implement the Regional Action Plan. This includes $164 million for the City of Los Angeles, $103 million for LAHSA, $97 million for Los Angeles County, $15 million for the City of Long Beach, $800,000 for the City of Pasadena and $280,000 for the City of Glendale.
This one-time state funding deepens partnerships among this group of local jurisdictions through the development of a regional plan and commitment to use their combined HHAP grants to strengthen their strategic collaboration and to further enhance their regionally coordinated response, with particular emphasis on increasing placement in permanent housing.
“Los Angeles County continues to urgently respond to the needs of our unhoused community members through unprecedented coordination with the City of Los Angeles and all of our partner cities,” they said Lindsey P. Horvath, Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. “HHAP funds for the Los Angeles County Regional Action Plan are critical to accelerating and scaling housing, services and care for people experiencing homelessness while supporting safe and clean public spaces. We are grateful for Governor Newsom and the state’s continued investment in local solutions to homelessness.”
“This year’s homeless count showed that street homelessness has fallen by an unprecedented double-digit rate in the city. This is a direct result of emergency evacuation, getting people indoors and coordinating all levels of management. On behalf of Angelenos, I thank the California State Legislature and Governor Newsom for your unwavering support and for continuing to deliver these vital resources to California cities,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
The HHAP grant will continue to fund intensive case management services that support participants who have experienced chronic homelessness and have disabilities, chronic medical conditions, and/or behavioral health conditions by providing a range of services designed to meet the needs of the participants. These services may include housing case management; housing stabilization; links to emergency financial assistance to avoid evictions; links to health, mental health and substance use services; benefits relationship; professional help; and more. Part of the funding will also be dedicated to providing transitional housing to youth aged 18-24 who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
“The most recent homeless count in Greater Los Angeles showed a noticeable decrease in homeless homeless people. Now, more than ever, we need to fund the new, innovative solutions to homelessness that have gotten us to this point, and the HHAP grants will help us do just that. Working together, Los Angeles leaders continue to tackle red tape and make significant strides toward reducing unsheltered homelessness. This government funding is essential to continue the work needed to move our homeless neighbors indoors.” LAHSA CEO Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellums said.
The cities of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Pasadena and Glendale, as well as LAHSA, will use the funding to strengthen their programs to prevent people from becoming homeless and to support their ongoing outreach programs, temporary housing, housing assistance and more.
“The City of Long Beach is using state HHAP dollars efficiently and we are seeing real results that are saving lives. These funds helped expand our capacity for shelter, supportive housing and services, contributing to an overall reduction in homelessness in our city for the first time in seven years. With this continued support from the state, our cities will continue to work in sync with the county to expand housing and services and help more people move out of homelessness for good,” said Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.
“We are grateful to Governor Newsom and the California State Legislature for their continued support of our shared commitment to addressing homelessness with compassion and urgency.” This investment will allow Pasadena to maintain services that address both the immediate needs of our unhoused residents and the long-term solutions to homelessness in our city. Together with our regional partners, Pasadena remains committed to ensuring that every resident has access to the care, dignity and housing they deserve,” added Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo.
Glendale Mayor Elen Asatryan said: “Regional partnerships are essential to creating a more integrated and effective approach to tackling homelessness, enabling communities to provide essential resources and services for individuals seeking housing and stability. HHAP 5 funds will help the City of Glendale expand our existing efforts in collaboration with regional partners to continue to reduce the number of individuals facing homelessness in our communities.”
As in previous years, the HHAP grant will be supplemented by local funding, including proceeds from Measure H, a ¼-cent sales tax approved by county voters in 2017 to prevent and address homelessness.