Global Courant 2023-04-20 05:46:52
Months after a judge shot down their first attempt, Los Angeles County officials announced a deal they hope will finally settle a long-running federal lawsuit over the region’s treatment of the homeless.
The agreement, announced Wednesday, would require the county to provide 1,000 additional beds for people with mental health and substance use disorders.
County officials first announced a settlement in September that would have nearly doubled the number of outreach teams serving people with severe mental illness and added 300 substance use and mental health beds, among other investments to help the most vulnerable residents. of the region to help. The agreement was expected to mark the end of a years-long legal battle with the Los Angeles Alliance for Human Rights, a coalition of downtown residents and business groups that in March 2020 sued both the city and the county for failing to comprehensively address the homelessness.
But U.S. District Judge David Carter refused to approve the agreement, saying the county had not provided enough beds for people who are mentally ill or have substance abuse problems and that there was no way to get the county to get its side of it. maintain the settlement.
On a Nov to belonghe said the two sides “could do better”.
County leaders claim they have done just that.
“This agreement shows that we have done that and I hope Judge Carter agrees and signs this settlement,” Janice Hahn, chair of the board of trustees, said in a statement. “The county is committed to a significant increase in resources and we are pleased to put this litigation behind us so that we can focus our full attention on helping people and communities who need our help.”
Under the terms of the new agreement, the county has committed to providing 700 new mental health and substance use beds, bringing the total number of these types of beds to 1,000. The agreement also requires the province to provide 450 new grants for beds primarily used by people with severe mental illness who are at risk of homelessness.
The revised agreement stipulates that the province would open 610 beds this year, 300 by June 30 and 310 more by December 31. The remaining 390 would be spread over another two years.
Daniel Conway, a policy adviser at the alliance, said the increase in bed numbers was a “meaningful improvement” but added he wasn’t sure how it would be received by a judge.
“At the same time, it is clear that we need thousands more,” he said. “And so we’re happy with this progress, but again, we’re not sure how the court will respond.”
Some homeless advocates who reviewed the agreement said they believed the county had fallen short again.
“This is the county trying to get away with doing pretty much nothing,” said Andy Bales, chief executive of the Union Rescue Mission in Slip. “When I saw this document, I was so disappointed. This will not come close to solving the need.”
Bales said yes expected the revised settlement to provide as many as 3,000 new beds after Carter rejected the original settlement agreement, and Hahn and supervisor Hilda Solis told the judge the county could do better.
Bales also objected to the phased roll-out of the new beds over several years.
“You know the conditions on skid row,” he said. “We need the beds immediately. I hope and pray that the judge will just dismiss it and say, “We’re not letting you off that easily.” ”
The agreement comes after urging from Mayor Karen Bass, who has made homelessness a top priority, to rework the legal settlement and give the parties additional time to reach a resolution. The City of Los Angeles settled its portion of the lawsuit in April 2022, agreeing to add enough beds over the next five years to house more than half of the region’s homeless population.
Both Solis and Hahn credited the mayor for helping to draft the new agreement.
“This agreement means more beds and services for our homeless residents, including those who live on Skid Row in my county,” said Solis in a statement. “I look forward to working with the City of Los Angeles as we continue to implement strategies that we know will bring people in.
Judge Carter is expected to discuss the agreement at a hearing on Thursday.
