Supervisors looking for ways to pay for plan to tackle homelessness

Losu2009Angeles County supervisors will consider asking the county CEO Tuesday to explore ways to raise ongoing money for its plan to reduce homelessness, including a potential tax increase.

When the supervisors approved the plan earlier this month to curtail the county’s growing homeless population, one glaring question that remained was how the county would pay for its program long-term.

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, along with Supervisor Michael Antonovich, will ask the Board of Supervisors to approve a proposal requesting that county CEO Sachi Hamai report back to the board in a month with options to increase revenue.

The supervisors wrote in their motion that the report could include a “Mental Health Services Act-like proposal.” That law, known as Propositionu200963, imposed a 1u2009percent tax statewide on personal income of more than $1u2009million to pay for mental health services. It was passed in 2004.

The motion does not endorse a tax increase, but uses it as an example of ways to raise revenue that the CEO should explore.

“Best budget projections make it very clear that current county resources are not sufficient to fund initiatives and services to combat homelessness on an ongoing basis, and therefore, there is a compelling need to pursue new and sustained aual revenue,” the supervisors wrote in the motion.

The supervisors also want Hamai to immediately begin conducting polling and research to make recommendations on the timing of when the various options considered should be submitted to the voters for approval.

The supervisors have approved about $150u2009million that will last through Juneu20092017 to fund the proposed programs and initiatives.

The plan has been lauded as a comprehensive effort to bring together other areas of the county that work with homeless individuals, including health, criminal justice and social services.

For example, under the plan, the county will provide bridge housing for individuals who are discharged from hospitals, jails and foster care, who might otherwise become homeless.

The plan also recommends asking cities to pitch in money for housing subsidies for families who have become homeless but who have a good chance of being able to pay their rent on their own in six to 12u2009months, under a program known as rapid rehousing.

After a count showed that the number of people living on county streets, in vehicles and encampments increased 12u2009percent from 2013 to 2015, lawmakers and activists called the issue a crisis and the city and county came up with plans to tackle the issue.

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L.A. city officials are also considering ways to increase revenue on the city’s plan to reduce homelessness, including asking voters to approve a tax increase and imposing fees on developers. A report from the city administrator showed the city needs to spend at least $1.85u2009billion over the next decade to build enough housing for the current homeless population.

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