>L.A. County’s homelessness crisis is the source of much debate and rancor. However, one area on which there is increasing agreement is that the status quo, which focuses on providing every homeless person with “permanent supportive housing” (PSH), has failed. Housing takes years to construct and make available, if it ever materializes at all. Meanwhile, at least six homeless people die every day in the County. According to County Health Department records, in 2022, the last year for which numbers are available, 2,201 homeless people died. Those are the official statistics. Like the annual point in time count of the County’s homeless population the actual number of deaths is several times higher.
>Project Homekey, California’s COVID era emergency housing program, was supposed to change all of that. Governor Gavin Newsom directed $3.5 billion in emergency federal COVID relief funds to help cities and counties purchase motels, hotels, and apartment buildings rapidly and make them available for homeless housing. The state distributed three rounds of Homekey funds in 2021, 2022, and 2023-24. L.A. County received a total of $550 million and used the funds to help purchase 32 buildings. Earlier this year, Newsom lauded the program as “a national model for rapidly creating affordable housing for Californians in need.”
>However, according to an exclusive, months-long investigation by the Westside Current, as an estimated 139,151 homeless people, both locals and newcomers, occupy streets, sidewalks, beaches, parks, playgrounds, and other public spaces throughout the County, at least 1,538 the total 2,157 Homekey rooms are vacant. This number accounts for more than 71% of all Homekey rooms. These revelations come on the heels of our previous reporting that discovered more than 1,200 vacant Homekey units owned by the City of Los Angeles.
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>L.A. County’s homelessness crisis is the source of much debate and rancor. However, one area on which there is increasing agreement is that the status quo, which focuses on providing every homeless person with “permanent supportive housing” (PSH), has failed. Housing takes years to construct and make available, if it ever materializes at all. Meanwhile, at least six homeless people die every day in the County. According to County Health Department records, in 2022, the last year for which numbers are available, 2,201 homeless people died. Those are the official statistics. Like the annual point in time count of the County’s homeless population the actual number of deaths is several times higher.
>Project Homekey, California’s COVID era emergency housing program, was supposed to change all of that. Governor Gavin Newsom directed $3.5 billion in emergency federal COVID relief funds to help cities and counties purchase motels, hotels, and apartment buildings rapidly and make them available for homeless housing. The state distributed three rounds of Homekey funds in 2021, 2022, and 2023-24. L.A. County received a total of $550 million and used the funds to help purchase 32 buildings. Earlier this year, Newsom lauded the program as “a national model for rapidly creating affordable housing for Californians in need.”
>However, according to an exclusive, months-long investigation by the Westside Current, as an estimated 139,151 homeless people, both locals and newcomers, occupy streets, sidewalks, beaches, parks, playgrounds, and other public spaces throughout the County, at least 1,538 the total 2,157 Homekey rooms are vacant. This number accounts for more than 71% of all Homekey rooms. These revelations come on the heels of our previous reporting that discovered more than 1,200 vacant Homekey units owned by the City of Los Angeles.
!ping YIMBY&LA&SOCIAL-POLICY
Oh wow what a non surprise