LOS ANGELES – One of the complexities of homelessness is getting rid of antiquated policies that either make people homeless or present barriers to getting people off the street. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass today hosted the Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Adrianne Todman in Los Angeles to highlight progress on this issue.
During a tour of the Mayfair, an interim housing site, Mayor Bass announced more than 1,000 people were able to come inside thanks to new waivers from HUD to slash red tape that kept Angelenos on the street instead of in housing. The Mayor and Acting Secretary Todman have also worked together to change long-standing federal policies that forced homeless disabled Veterans to choose between housing and benefits, and have also partnered through the City’s involvement in the Biden-Harris Administration’s ALL INside initiative. According to the most recent Point in Time Count, homelessness has decreased in Los Angeles for the first time in years.
“HUD has been an invaluable partner, first under Secretary Fudge, and now under Acting Secretary Todman, in addressing antiquated policies that either make people homeless or present barriers to getting people off the street,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “No one should be forced to wait on the street while trying to prove they are low income – and thanks to action HUD has taken, we were able to bring more than 1,000 people inside through waivers that slash unnecessary red tape that stood in the way of saving lives. We’ve also taken action to help our Veterans, ensuring that their own benefits don’t prevent them from qualifying for housing. Thank you to Acting Secretary Todman, President Biden, and Vice President Harris for your continued partnership and urgent action as we continue to work to house Angelenos across the city.”
“The entire Biden-Harris Administration is dedicated to addressing homelessness with the urgency it requires — that means working more creatively and collaboratively than ever,” said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. “I’m honored to work alongside our committed local partners like Mayor Karen Bass to ensure we stably house our homeless neighbors in Los Angeles and across the country.”
The Mayor and Acting Secretary Todman gathered with regional leaders at the Mayfair hotel which was acquired by the City for use as a permanent interim housing site and expanded permanent interim housing capacity by nearly 300 beds when it opened in May. Case management and wrap-around services at the Mayfair include but are not limited to:
Physical and mental health services
Substance use disorder services
Intensive case management
Life skills
Employment and housing navigation
President and CEO of the Weingart Center Senator Kevin Murray, Chair of the LA County Board of Supervisors Lindsey Horvath, Supervisor Hilda Solis, Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, State Senator María Elena Durazo, Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, and representatives from HACLA were also in attendance.
CUTTING BUREAUCRATIC RED TAPE AND ADDRESSING ANTIQUATED POLICIES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HUD
Presumptive Eligibility Waivers To Bring More Angelenos Inside:
Mayor Bass and HUD announced a critical agreement in August of 2023 to help the City of Los Angeles bring more Angelenos inside faster. The waivers enable Angelenos to enter the safety of housing without forcing people to wait on the streets to compile supportive paperwork. Once individuals are in permanent housing, public housing authorities will work to collect verification. More than 1,000 waivers have been used to address the following barriers:
Self-certification of Income: Unhoused people commonly do not have traditional or banked income. Under the agreement, unhoused Angelenos no longer have to prove a certain income in order to come inside.
Self-certification of Social Security Number: Unhoused people commonly do not have Social Security cards, which are easily lost or stolen. Under this agreement, unhoused Angelenos no longer have to show a Social Security card to move into housing.
Self-certification of Date of Birth: Unhoused people commonly do not have access to these documents due to time spent living unhoused. Under this agreement, unhoused Angelenos no longer need a federal certification or paper records of their date of birth to move into housing.
Self-certification of Disability: Unhoused people commonly do not have access to health care, making it difficult to obtain proper documentation showing disability. Under this agreement, unhoused Angelenos no longer need to provide a doctor’s note proving they are disabled.
In September, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1500, which was introduced by Senator María Elena Durazo and sponsored by Mayor Bass to give housing providers the certainty they need to take advantage of the federal presumptive eligibility waivers that Mayor Bass secured from HUD in August of 2023.
Reforming HUD-VASH Vouchers and Low Income Housing Tax Credits To House More Veterans:
Following direct advocacy from Mayor Bass with the United States Conference of Mayors to the federal government, HUD published a federal notice in August of this year establishing policy changes that make it clear that Veterans experiencing homelessness should not be disqualified from supportive housing based on their disability status. This policy change allows for more Veterans to be eligible for housing and increases their housing options.
The U.S. Department of Treasury announced weeks ago new guidance to adopt these changes in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit. The new guidance makes it so that disability benefits are not calculated towards income caps that prevent unhoused Veterans from qualifying for housing funded by the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit.
New Collaboration Through ALLInside:
Los Angeles was selected to be one of five cities to enter in a historic partnership in May of 2023 with the White House and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). The new initiative is called ALL INside, a first-of-its kind initiative to address unsheltered homelessness all across the country. As part of ALL INside, the City of Los Angeles is partnering with USICH and its 19 federal member agencies for up to two years to strengthen and accelerate our local efforts to move unhoused Angelenos off the streets and into homes where they can recover from homelessness and rebuild their lives.