Following a Los Angeles City Hall commitment to spend $100 million to help the city’s growing homeless population, the city’s top budget official recommended Monday the city create a special fund and immediately allocate $15 million toward housing and services.
If approved by the City Council, the funds would represent the first funding toward a major initiative announced by City Hall leaders, who last month pledged to aid the city’s homeless population, which has risen 12 percent in the last two years.
City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana said at a Monday’s Budget and Finance Committee hearing that his office has identified $15 million in available funds, money that could go toward immediate housing and homeless shelter needs sought by the mayor and council.
But Santana stopped short of offering more recommendations on the $100 million plan, stating that his office will wait until the city’s mid-year fiscal report, expected in early 2016, for more recommendations.
City Councilman Mike Bonin said at Monday’s hearing that members of the City Hall’s homeless task force are currently talking with county officials on a joint homeless initiative set to be unveiled in January.
“The city’s now working on a parallel track so we won’t be competing with each other or racing to be first,” Bonin said.
City Councilman Paul Koretz expressed skepticism that the city’s homeless crisis is worse than a decade ago and urged caution in spending the $100 million.
“I really want us to have a very coherent plan before we start spending much,” Koretz said. “I want it to be more of a long-term plan so we can really see us solving the problem.”
Separately, Bonin and City Councilman Gil Cedillo are seeking to declare a “state of emergency” in Los Angeles because of the spike in homelessness.
