Solutions to the Housing & Homelessness Crisis in Los Angeles County
Dear Neighbor,
According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority's 2022 homeless count, an estimated 69,144 people experience homelessness in Los Angeles County every night, a 4.1% rise from 2020. Of that, 41,980 are in the City of Los Angeles, up 1.7%. Overall, of those experiencing homelessness, about 29,000 identify as Latino, a dramatic 26% rise affecting individuals and families with children.
Tackling the issue of homelessness is a huge undertaking and one that we in the Legislature, in partnership with the Governor, have been working to address through various investments. The 2021-2022 budget includes a historic $12 billion investment over the next two years for immediate, clinically enhanced bridge housing solutions for people with serious mental health challenges experiencing homelessness and significant funding for foster youth. This is in addition to the $13 billion investment in homelessness programs between 2018 and 2020.
A major cornerstone of my work as Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No.4 on State Administration is to fight for a budget that reflects California's needs and values. I want to highlight additional projects and specific budget wins my office worked on for our community:
- $50 Million for the LA County + USC General Hospital Reuse Project, which will transform the 19-story building into affordable housing and additional support for homeless Angelenos.
- $15 Million for Homeboy Industries, which will assist in expanding existing support services, including critically important housing assistance.
- $5 Million for The Hope Village, a project proposal that re-imagines the geographic area encompassing Men’s Central Jail, Los Angeles County Care First Village, Homeboy Industries, and the California Endowment’s Center for Healthy Communities Campus to expand housing and social services for unhoused, formerly incarcerated people and the surrounding community.
- $5 Million for Impact Justice, which will open doors to professional development and living wage jobs for formerly incarcerated people and provide temporary housing solutions to individuals leaving prison.
- $14.96 Million for Encampment Resolutions, awarded to the City of Los Angeles and County Continuums of Care to serve 500 women and families living in Skid Row.
- $150 Million for the Portfolio Reinvestment Program, which will further preserve targeted units in downtown-oriented areas and continue increasing the state’s affordable housing stock.
This past week, I held an informational budget hearing on how Los Angeles County, the City of Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, spend state dollars on housing and homelessness. It was the second in a series of hearings across the state. The Solution is simple: we need to build more housing, but we also need to make sure that with our current investments, programs are working and there is transparency and accountability in how state funding is used.
Together, we can solve homelessness, but we have much work ahead of us as we work with the County of Los Angeles to resolve this crisis.
In Service,
WENDY CARRILLO
Assemblymember, District 51
Chair, Assembly Budget Subcommittee No.4 on State Administration
Chair, Select Committee on Young Girls and Women of Color
Vice Chair, Legislative Progressive Caucus