Global Courant 2023-04-20 17:00:58
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced on Tuesday that $1.3 billion of her proposed $13 billion budget will go to tackling homelessness.
She called the amount to tackle the homelessness crisis “unprecedented”, a 9.7% increase from the previous year. Bass earmarked 20% of her homeless budget, $250 million, for Inside Safe, which is designed to bring in displaced residents from street encampments. Previously, the program rented rooms in the city, but Bass’ team is looking for at least eight motels or hotels.
“This is a truly historic commitment from the city budget — as much of the state and federal pandemic money from recent years is no longer available,” she said during her State of the City address on Monday.
Since taking office, homelessness has been at the top of her agenda, along with rebuilding the Los Angeles Police Department.
The council must review and approve Bass’ budget before May 31. Once approved, the entire spending plan will cover the fiscal year beginning July 1.
According to documents Released by the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, the money will be distributed to 31 departments and funds dealing with homelessness and housing, including funding for homeless services from the Police Department and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
Bass spends more money on homelessness than any previous city budget. The new mayor’s first spending plan reflects a leveling off after years of exponential growth in homeless spending, fueled by state subsidies and the $1.2 billion Proposition HHH homeless housing bond approved by voters in 2016.
In his first two years in office, Mayor Eric Garcetti increased the homeless budget from $10 million to $100 million in 2015. Over the next six years, it rose from $100 million to $1 billion.
Bass’s budget, like Garcetti’s, includes hundreds of millions of dollars in state grants and capital expenditures from Proposition HHH. Those sources tapered off their peaks in Garcetti’s last years.
With many of the housing projects completed, Proposition HHH expenses decreased from $416 million to $261 million. That fall was offset by new money from Measure United to Home LA (ULA)a property sale tax that was approved by voters in November.
Bass plans to use $150 million of Measure ULA revenue for housing acquisition and rehabilitation. Due to risks with pending legislation challenging the measure, the proposed budget is just a fraction of the $671 million it is expected to raise this year. Funding will focus on preventing homelessness in the first place, rather than building new construction.
The proposed budget for the LAPD’s homeless services includes $8.3 million in overtime for sworn officers to patrol the vicinity of temporary housing for the homeless. The mayor’s documents state that part of the increase, double the previous year, relates to the cost-of-living increase applied to overtime.
Funding from the state’s Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program, which includes four grants (some of which carry over), makes up $230 million of the budget, more than double the $92 million in Garcetti’s last budget. The money will be used to support shelter operations, Project Homekey, outreach, public health services and programs for youth who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Another large portion of the increased budget is $68 million in federal grants, which include acquisition, rehabilitation and management of Project Homekey sites. Grants are $13 million lower than last year.
The city will pledge $38 million to LAHSA, about the same as last year, largely to fund street outreach, shelter operations and the annual homeless census.
Bass’s proposal also includes $72 million, $3.16 million more than last year, for funding positions for the CARE+ program – Extensive cleaning and Rapid Engagement Plus – which removes abandoned rubbish and cleans homeless camps.
Funding also goes to the city’s Community Investment for Families department Solid Ground Program, which will distribute money to community organizations to help LA residents with financial assistance and housing searches and case management. The program is estimated to receive $4.1 million, which is 2½ times more funding than last fiscal year.
