City Council allots nearly 2 percent of budget to tackling homelessness
By Janae Yip
May 30, 2017 12:06 a.m.
Los Angeles City Council will allocate $176 million to pay for housing for homeless individuals in its budget for fiscal year 2017-2018.
The city will dedicate nearly 2 percent of its budget to permanent housing projects and sanitation efforts, among other services, to support homeless individuals. The budget also proposes funds for street repair and the city’s Vision Zero program, which aims to end traffic fatalities.
Part of the funding will come from Proposition HHH, a Los Angeles ballot measure passed in November that will contribute more than $89 million to address homelessness. Funds go toward building nearly 400 new housing units and six facilities to connect homeless residents to assistance programs.
Lisa Chapman, president of the Westwood Neighborhood Council, said she does not know how much of the budget’s funds will be allocated to address homelessness in Westwood. She said she thinks the city will use this year’s homelessness data and reports from the WWNC and Westwood Community Council to determine how much to allocate to the district.
Chapman said she thinks Westwood should use the funds for both temporary and permanent housing options and for services that address the underlying causes of homelessness, such as job training, mental health services and medical assistance.
“Getting to the heart of each individual’s situation is an important part of this process,” Chapman said. “It will be a long, sometimes painful process which will require much patience, understanding and tenacity from all of us.”
