The House Financial Services Committee held a field hearing, “Examining the Homeless Crisis in Los Angeles,” on August 14. Three panels of witnesses from state and local organizations explained that while Los Angeles is a leader at mitigating homelessness, the City still struggles to reduce its homeless population – the second largest in the country. Witnesses discussed the urgency of implementing Chair Maxine Waters’ (D-CA) “Ending Homelessness Act of 2019” (H.R. 1856), which would authorize $13 billion to end homelessness.
In her opening statement, Chair Waters stated that the homelessness crisis is directly linked to the lack of affordable housing, citing data from NLIHC’s Out of Reach and The Gap. Angelinos face one of the least affordable housing markets in the country; an estimated 721,000 families in the county pay more than 50% of their income for rent and utilities. Witnesses cited recent point in time counts that estimate a 12-16% increase in homelessness from 2018 to 2019, with an average of 60,000 unsheltered Angelinos on any given night.
Witnesses described homelessness as a symptom of systemic issues, such as redlining, racial discrimination, stagnant wages, a shortage of affordable and accessible homes, and inadequate resources for formerly incarcerated individuals, foster youth, veterans, people with mental illness or substance abuse problems, and domestic violence survivors. Mayor Eric Garcetti stated that homelessness “is where affordable housing meets trauma.” Tim Watkins, president and CEO of the Watts Labor Community Action Committee asked, “How much of this is by design? Why do people have to be homeless for a year before getting help?”
Committee members and witnesses discussed the potential negative impacts of recent Trump administration proposals, including HUD’s proposed changes to the mixed-status immigrant family rule (see Memo, 5/10) and the Equal Access rule (see Memo, 5/28). Witnesses stated that the proposed changes would limit access to housing and would be harmful for their communities. Representative Al Green (D-TX) and Mayor Garcetti stated their desire for President Trump to visit Los Angeles’ skid row to gain a “different appreciation for the human tragedy” of homelessness and to understand the impacts of funding cuts to federal housing programs.
Witnesses expressed support for H.R.1856 as a starting point for addressing the homelessness problem in Los Angeles and across the country.
More about the hearing is at: https://bit.ly/2MkPXpW