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 efforts to provide housing and services to help people transition out of homelessness, provide wraparound services, and restore public spaces to their original purpose.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development awarded these collaborative entities 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 to the City of Los Angeles, $103 million to LAHSA, $97 million to the County of Los Angeles, $15 million to the City of Long Beach, $800,000 to the City of Pasadena, and $280,000 to 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 a commitment to use their combined HHAP grants to strengthen their strategic collaboration and to further enhance their regional coordinated response, with a particular focus on increasing placements to permanent housing.
“Los Angeles County continues to urgently meet the needs of our unhoused community members through unprecedented coordination with the City of Los Angeles and all of our partner cities,” said Lindsey P. Horvath, Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. “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. We are grateful for Governor Newsom and the State’s continued investment in local solutions to homelessness.”
“This year’s Homeless Count showed street homelessness dropped an unprecedented double- digits in the city. This is the direct result of moving with urgency, bringing people indoors and coordinating across all levels of government. On behalf of Angelenos, I thank the California State Legislature and Governor Newsom for your steadfast 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 participant’s needs. These services can include housing case management; housing stabilization; connections to emergency financial assistance to avoid evictions; linkages to health, mental health, and substance use disorder services; connection to benefits; vocational assistance; and more. A portion of the funding will also be dedicated to providing transitional housing to youth ages 18-24 who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
“The last Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count showed a notable drop in unsheltered homelessness. Now, more than ever, we must fund the new, innovative solutions to homelessness that got us to this point, and the HHAP grants will help us do just that. By working together, leaders in LA continue to cut through red tape and make significant strides toward reducing unsheltered homelessness. This state funding is essential to continue the work required to move our unhoused neighbors indoors,” LAHSA Chief Executive Officer 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 falling into homelessness, and to support their ongoing outreach programs, interim housing, housing assistance, and more.
“The City of Long Beach has leveraged state HHAP dollars efficiently, and we are seeing real results that are saving lives. These funds have helped expand our shelter, supportive housing, and services capacity, which contributed to an overall reduction in homelessness in our city for the first time in seven years. With this ongoing support from the state, our cities will continue to work in lockstep collaboratively with the County to expand housing and services, and help more people permanently exit homelessness,” 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 enable Pasadena to maintain services that address both the immediate needs of our unhoused residents and the long-term solutions for 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 for creating a more integrated and effective approach to addressing 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 collaboratively with regional partners to continue reducing the number of individuals facing homelessness in our communities.”
As in previous years, the HHAP grant will be supplemented with local funding, including revenue from Measure H, a ¼-cent sales tax approved by County voters in 2017 to prevent and address homelessness.