Ending Homelessness Attracts Hundreds of Caring Citizens

by Gary Toebben

Last week, both the City and County of Los Angeles presented plans to address homelessness and invited public comments. The plans appropriately described the growing number of homeless persons and the shortage of affordable housing as a crisis. Each plan outlined suggested expenditures of approximately $100 million per year or $200 million total per year to take bold and comprehensive action. Both plans indicated that existing funds could be re-prioritized to get the ball rolling but that a dedicated revenue stream would be needed to sustainably fund the proposals. Neither recommended a specific revenue source.    

The two plans were complimentary and included strategies for individuals experiencing both short and long-term homelessness. Some of the most important recommendations to create more affordable housing involved zoning and land use reforms, plus speeding up the development process. It was also suggested that more existing rentals could be used for permanent supportive housing for persons with federally supported vouchers. 

The danger of El Nino rainstorms to the growing number of homeless living in tent encampments on public properties and right-of-ways was highlighted and should be the catalyst for urgency. But when El Nino passes, we will still have a homeless crisis that must be addressed with more short term shelters, more permanent supportive housing, and a coordinated entry system that directs homeless individuals and families to the health care, housing assistance and workforce training that best meets their needs. 

The community shortage that is shared by both the homeless and thousands of other families and individuals in L.A. County is the shortage of affordable housing. For a variety of reasons, we have not built enough housing units in our City and County. The result is that growth in demand for housing has far outpaced the growth in supply, and the cost of housing has gone up much faster than the income for most people. We must build more housing in L.A.

I applaud the City and County for preparing these comprehensive and complimentary plans, and I thank the citizens who participated in the public meetings and shared their input. The Chamber and the United Way of Greater L.A. began this journey to end chronic homelessness with our “Home for Good” plan five years ago. Many sectors of our community have now rallied to address this important community challenge. It is time to take action before El Nino passes and we once again look at homelessness as an issue that is too big to solve. 

And that’s The Business Perspective.