Council Adopts Motion From Councilmember Raman To Create Holistic Investment Strategy For Interim And Permanent Housing to Reduce Unsheltered Homelessness
For Immediate Release: May 16, 2023
COUNCIL ADOPTS MOTION FROM COUNCILMEMBER RAMAN TO CREATE HOLISTIC INVESTMENT STRATEGY FOR INTERIM AND PERMANENT HOUSING TO REDUCE UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS
LOS ANGELES -- Last week, the Los Angeles City Council adopted a motion introduced by Councilmember Nithya Raman to design a holistic investment strategy for growing the City’s permanent and interim housing stock. With more than 25,000 individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness on any given night in the City of Los Angeles, investments have yet to match the housing needs required to address this crisis. Councilmember Raman’s legislation seeks to create a comprehensive investment strategy designed to produce housing capacity sufficient to make significant reductions in both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness.
Between 2019 and 2022, the City brought thousands of beds and housing units online, leading to a count of 13,522 people in shelter in 2022—a 51% increase from three years earlier. Additionally, according to LAHD’s supportive housing tracker, 4,146 HHH permanent supportive housing units have been completed, with 4,986 under construction and more planned. However, the current rate of investment in both permanent and interim housing does not meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness on the City’s streets.
“At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we cannot solve our homelessness crisis without housing,” said Councilmember Raman. “Right now, the investments we have made at the City to grow our permanent and interim housing stock simply do not match the scale of the crisis. We need to dramatically increase our investments to meet the urgency this issue demands, leveraging every dollar we can to build the housing we desperately need.”
Councilmember Raman’s legislation directs the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) to report back in 30 days with a holistic investment strategy to increase the production of permanent and interim housing, including recommendations on the size of investment needed, the housing typologies to target, and a projection of additional outside dollars the City will need to leverage.
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Council Adopts Motion From Councilmember Raman To Bring Mental And Health Care Services To City-Funded Interim Housing Sites
For Immediate Release: May 10, 2023
COUNCIL ADOPTS MOTION FROM COUNCILMEMBER RAMAN TO BRING MENTAL HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE SERVICES TO CITY-FUNDED INTERIM HOUSING SITES
LOS ANGELES -- Yesterday, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously adopted a motion introduced by Councilmember Nithya Raman to bring mental health and health care services to City-funded interim housing sites. While the City of Los Angeles has made significant investments in interim housing programs in recent years, these sites are not equipped with on-site medical, mental, and behavioral health support for program participants. Councilmember Raman’s legislation will help to close this gap in services by enabling Street Medicine teams to provide medical, mental, and behavioral health services at all City-funded interim housing sites.
In February, the City expanded the number of fully-funded Street Medicine teams from one team to three, providing critical care to support people experiencing homelessness—and crucially, continuing to provide those services as these individuals transition to living indoors. These mobile teams are able to provide general medical services, behavioral health services, addiction recovery services, and medical care management to both individuals living unsheltered and transitioning into interim housing sites. Furthermore, these teams are able to cover a large portion of the costs of these services by billing Medi-Cal for both medical services and CalAIM services. However, these reimbursements do not entirely cover the costs of the program, particularly for service recipients who, for various reasons, are uninsured.
“We know that our unhoused neighbors often have either a mental illness, a substance use disorder, or a physical disability and that providing these individuals with a full spectrum of care is critical for easing the transition from living on the streets to interim housing,” said Councilmember Raman. “If we are to successfully bring people indoors and keep them from falling back into homelessness, the City must subsidize these services in order to ensure that Street Medicine teams are able to provide continuous care to residents at all City-funded interim housing sites.”
Councilmember Raman’s legislation directs the City Administrative Officer (CAO) to report back within 30 days with recommendations that will enable Street Medicine teams to provide medical, mental and behavioral health services at all City-funded interim housing sites, including appropriate funding, staffing, and other resources to initiate this expansion of Street Medicine services as soon as possible. Additionally, the legislation directs the CAO, with the assistance of the Chief Legislative Analyst, to explore additional funding sources for these much-needed services, including State and Federal grants and potential agreements with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and the Department of Health Services.
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Council Adopts Motion From Councilmember Raman To Make Shelter Occupancy Data Publicly Available
For Immediate Release: May 10, 2023
COUNCIL ADOPTS MOTION FROM COUNCILMEMBER RAMAN TO OBTAIN DAILY SHELTER OCCUPANCY DATA AND MAKE IT PUBLICLY AVAILABLE
LOS ANGELES -- Yesterday, the Los Angeles City Council adopted a motion introduced by Councilmember Nithya Raman to obtain daily shelter occupancy data and make it publicly available. As the City continues to make investments in interim housing and shelter sites, City employees and the public have a continuing need to access and understand the availability of shelter beds. Councilmember Raman’s legislation requests the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) to obtain daily reports from all City-funded shelter sites to provide to the CAO’s City Homeless Coordinator, City Council offices, the Mayor’s office, and the City Controller.
During the COVID-19 emergency, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) provided daily occupancy reports for Project Roomkey sites to City partners. These reports were utilized to ensure that beds could be filled as quickly as possible and helped promote transparency within the shelter system.
“Where and when shelter beds are available can mean the difference between life and death for someone living on the streets,” said Councilmember Raman. “Obtaining this data on a daily basis and making it publicly available would permit people experiencing homelessness and their case managers to research which shelter options are most readily available, allowing the entire homeless services system in Los Angeles to operate with a higher degree of efficiency.”
Councilmember Raman’s legislation requests that LAHSA obtain daily reports including the following information from all City-funded shelter sites:
- Demographic information about the population(s) the site is able to serve;
- Eligibility requirements for entry, such as whether a site accepts walk-ins;
- Whether services offered include assessment, referrals, housing matches, residence within a particular catchment area, etc.;
- Number and percentage of beds that are occupied;
- Number and percentage of beds that are offline, and the reason(s) they are offline;
- Number and percentage of beds that are available;
- Number of individuals referred to the site; and
- Number of intakes scheduled at the site for that day.
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Councilmember Raman Introduces Motion To Bring Mental And Health Care Services To City-Funded Interim Housing Sites
For Immediate Release: April 12, 2023
COUNCILMEMBER RAMAN INTRODUCES MOTION TO BRING MENTAL AND HEALTH CARE SERVICES TO CITY-FUNDED INTERIM HOUSING SITES
LOS ANGELES -- Yesterday, Councilmember Nithya Raman introduced a motion to bring mental and health care services to City-funded interim housing sites. While the City of Los Angeles has made significant investments in interim housing programs in recent years, these sites are not equipped with on-site medical, mental, and behavioral health support for program participants. Councilmember Raman’s legislation seeks to close this gap in services by enabling Street Medicine teams to provide medical, mental, and behavioral health services at all City-funded interim housing sites.
In February, the City expanded the number of fully-funded Street Medicine teams from one team to three, providing critical care to support people experiencing homelessness – and crucially, continuing to provide those services as these individuals transition to living indoors. These mobile teams are able to provide general medical services, behavioral health services, addiction recovery services, and medical care management to both individuals living unsheltered and transitioning into interim housing sites. Furthermore, these teams are able to cover a large portion of the costs of these services by billing Medi-Cal for both medical services and CalAIM services. However, these reimbursements do not entirely cover the costs of the program, particularly for service recipients who, for various reasons, are uninsured.
“We know that our unhoused neighbors often have either a mental illness, a substance use disorder, or a physical disability and that providing these individuals with a full spectrum of care is critical for easing the transition from living on the streets to interim housing,” said Councilmember Raman. “If we are to successfully bring people indoors and keep them from falling back into homelessness, the City must subsidize these services in order to ensure that Street Medicine teams are able to provide continuous care to residents, and so that these teams can expand their care to all residents of all City-funded interim housing sites.”
Councilmember Raman’s legislation directs the City Administrative Officer (CAO) to report back within 30 days with recommendations that will enable Street Medicine teams to provide medical, mental and behavioral health services at all City-funded interim housing sites, including appropriate funding, staffing, and other resources to initiate this expansion of Street Medicine services as soon as possible. Additionally, the legislation directs the CAO, with the assistance of the Chief Legislative Analyst, to explore additional funding sources for these much-needed services, including State and Federal grants and potential agreements with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and the Department of Health Services.
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Council Adopts Motion from Councilmembers Raman and Hernandez to Develop Implementation Plan for ULA
For Immediate Release: February 22, 2022
COUNCIL ADOPTS MOTION FROM COUNCILMEMBERS RAMAN AND HERNANDEZ TO DEVELOP IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR MEASURE ULA
LOS ANGELES -- Yesterday, Council voted to adopt a motion from Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Eunisses Hernandez to develop an implementation plan for Measure ULA, or United to House LA. Measure ULA was approved on the November 2022 California ballot and establishes, funds, and authorizes programs to increase permanent supportive and affordable housing stock and to provide resources to tenants at risk of homelessness through a 4% tax on sales/transfers of real property exceeding $5 million and through a 5.5% tax on sales/transfers of real properties of $10 million or more, with exceptions.
“It is imperative that we act with urgency to implement Measure ULA, which is expected to generate approximately $600 million to $1.1 billion annually – the largest source of revenue for these programs to date,” said Councilmember Raman. “This is truly the first housing initiative of its kind anywhere in the United States that will have such a widespread, immediate, and long-term impact on the housing and homelessness crisis.”
“We are in the midst of a crisis with more than 40,000 people living unhoused in our City, and thousands more at risk of joining them unless we move forward with holistic housing-first solutions,” said Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez. “The voters have spoken and overwhelmingly voted in favor of Measure ULA. This motion honors the will of the people by ensuring that we make the most of this unprecedented revenue stream to keep vulnerable renters housed and build the affordable housing stock that we so desperately need.”
"Voters overwhelmingly passed Measure ULA because they demanded solutions to Los Angeles' housing affordability and homelessness crisis—solutions that come from LA's housing and homelessness organizations, who do this work every day and are experts at what they do,” said Laura Raymond, Director of ACT-LA and Co-Chair Yes on Measure ULA. “With the expiration of LA's COVID-19 renter protections, we must act quickly to protect renters and prevent a future eviction-to-homelessness pipeline from occurring. We look forward to continuing to work with the City to ensure that Angelenos see the solutions promised in Measure ULA enacted in their neighborhoods as soon as possible."
Raman and Hernandez’s motion instructs the Los Angeles Housing Department, with assistance from the City Administrative Officer, the City Attorney’s Office, the Department of Finance, and any other relevant departments, to report back within 15 days on the implementation of Measure ULA, including:
- Foundational guidelines and resources needed to effectively implement Measure ULA
- Strategies for continued consultation with community-based organizations, advocacy groups, and experts in the field, including the authors of the ballot measure; and
- Plans to begin collecting ULA revenue beginning April 1, 2023.
The motion also requires a plan to be drawn up for for the expenditure of up to $500,000 to establish the House LA Fund and House LA Program, prior to April 1, 2023 as well as identify any existing City, County, State, or federal funds—including the City’s General Fund and Reserve Fund—that could be utilized to effectively and expeditiously support rent relief, homelessness prevention, and affordable housing programs prior to Measure ULA revenue becoming available.
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Councilmember Nithya Raman Introduces Motion To Create Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Liaison Positions
For Immediate Release: November 3, 2022
LOS ANGELES -- Yesterday, LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman introduced a motion requesting the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) to create a number of dedicated staff positions to facilitate coordination and communication between LAHSA and the City of Los Angeles. These liaisons would be LAHSA employees assigned to specific Council Districts, and would provide strategic communication, data and metrics, programmatic analysis, regional coordination, and district-level knowledge and support to Council Offices.
“With more than 41,000 people experiencing homelessness in LA, improved communication and collaboration between the City and LAHSA is paramount to our efforts in effectively solving this humanitarian crisis,” said Councilmember Raman. “The existing LAHSA-Council coordination efforts are meaningful in ensuring better service delivery and data accuracy, but we can implement additional mechanisms to further strengthen our collective homelessness response.”
Challenges that persist in spite of the current communication between the City and LAHSA include inconsistencies in communication, District-level knowledge gaps, and data-sharing limitations. The motion requests LAHSA to provide a report detailing responsibilities and accountability mechanisms for new liaison positions that can help resolve these issues and maximize both LAHSA and the City’s efficacy and speed in addressing homelessness.
"Communication and coordination are the hallmarks of a strong partnership. This motion from Councilmember Raman strengthens both between the City and LAHSA," said Stephen David Simon, Interim Executive Director of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. "I'd like to give special thanks to the Councilmember for putting forth this motion and acknowledging that LA's unhoused and housed neighbors are best served when we collectively share the same goals and work together."
Councilmember Raman continued, “In my office, we’ve seen success having staff positions dedicated to bridging the communication gap between our team, LAHSA, and service providers. Applying this model across the City can ensure adequate information sharing and collaboration, to better serve the needs of people experiencing homelessness in each Council District. ”
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Councilmember Raman Introduces Motion To Create City-Wide Vehicular Homelessness Strategy
For Immediate Release: November 2, 2022
LOS ANGELES -- Today, Councilmember Nithya Raman introduced a motion aimed at developing a comprehensive City-wide rehousing strategy for people experiencing Residential Vehicle (RV) homelessness, in alignment with the City’s Street Engagement Strategy and the Los Angeles Homeless Authority’s (LAHSA) Best Practices for Addressing Street Encampments.
LAHSA’s most recent point-in-time count, conducted in February 2022, indicates that nearly 6,500 people experiencing homelessness in the City of Los Angeles are living in a total of about 4,000 RVs, representing 22% of the City’s total unsheltered homeless population. Many RVs used as dwellings on LA’s streets are in grave disrepair, meaning that people living in them face unsanitary and sometimes dangerous conditions. RVs have also posed challenges for the neighborhoods in which they are located related to the release of untreated effluent into streets or stormwater drains, increased risk of fires, and other public safety concerns.
The City’s primary response to vehicular homelessness—particularly in RVs—has been a reactive one, not one that focuses on resolving homelessness for inhabitants of RVs. Using LAMC 80.69.4 to prohibit the parking of oversized vehicles between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m on specific streets, hundreds of streets have been added every year to the list of streets where oversized vehicle parking is prohibited. In response to these restrictions, residents of RVs often move their vehicles to other streets, meaning that these bans simply move people experiencing homelessness from one street to another.
“For decades, Los Angeles focused its response to vehicular homelessness on ticketing vehicles, posting street-by-street restrictions on oversized vehicle parking, and moving individuals from block to block.” said Councilmember Raman. “Our traditional response hasn’t worked — in just the last 4 years, the number of people living in RVs has increased by 40%. It’s clear that LA needs a new approach to vehicular homelessness centered around getting people into safe habitation.”
Councilmember Raman’s motion would direct the CAO, with assistance from LAHSA and the Department of Transportation, to report back within 60 days with a comprehensive City-wide rehousing strategy for people experiencing RV homelessness. The proposed strategy would address securing appropriate interim shelter and housing for people living in RVs across the City, creating incentives for voluntary relinquishment of RVs used as dwellings, and expanding safe parking programs.
In the proposed 2022-23 California budget, Governor Newsom has earmarked $300 million for Encampment Resolution Funding (ERF) grants. Local governments can apply for ERF grants to create projects that serve people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in encampments. Raman’s motion additionally instructs the City Administrative Office to report back within 60 days regarding the possibility of submitting an application on behalf of the City for an Encampment Resolution Funding grant from the State of California to support the proposed City-wide rehousing strategy.
"We need to be asking ourselves what it takes to solve the homelessness crisis at scale,” said Councilmember Raman. “An ERF grant could present a unique opportunity for the City to secure funding for and implement a City-wide rehousing strategy for people experiencing homelessness living in RVs, rather than continuing to rely on a broken, district-by-district approach.”
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Councilmember Nithya Raman Introduces Resolution In Support Of Raising State-Set Reimbursement Rates For Board And Care Homes
For Immediate Release: July 27, 2022
COUNCILMEMBER NITHYA RAMAN INTRODUCES RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF RAISING STATE-SET REIMBURSEMENT RATES FOR BOARD AND CARE HOMES
LOS ANGELES -- Today, Councilmember Nithya Raman introduced a resolution in support of raising the State-set reimbursement rate for Adult Residential Facilities and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly. Informally known as “board and care” homes, these facilities serve as a vital resource for low-income seniors, people with disabilities, and individuals with mental illness, addressing both service and housing needs.
“Board and care homes play a crucial role in helping individuals who need long term, intensive care, providing housing and services for those who need daily assistance,” said Councilmember Raman. “Last year alone, the City saw a loss of 369 of these beds – at a time when these critical beds are already in such short supply, we need to ensure these facilities are able to keep their doors open and continue serving Angelenos.”
The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health estimates that at least 10% of the unsheltered homeless population suffers from complex mental health illnesses and another 10% requires help with activities of daily living such as bathing, eating, dressing, or managing medications. These two groups, totalling over 5,700 people in the City of Los Angeles, would be well-served by placements in board and care homes if such placements were readily available.
The City currently has a total of 180 board and care facilities with 6,717 beds, providing critical support for individuals who need long-term, intensive care, and because of the nature of this care there is limited turnover of beds. Though the State plans to increase the reimbursement rate for low-income residents of board and care homes by 2% on January 1, 2023, and 23% on January 1, 2024, these increases are drastically insufficient and far too late to meet the actual costs of care and will do little to prevent many facilities from being forced to shutter.
“Board and care homes are another piece of the puzzle in solving the City’s homeless crisis,” emphasized Councilmember Raman. “Not only do we need to preserve those in existence, we need to provide enough of a financial reimbursement to incentivize the opening of additional facilities to help meet the critical care and housing needs of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in LA.”
Councilmember Raman’s resolution would require the City of Los Angeles to include in its 2022-2023 State Legislative Program support for or sponsorship of legislation or administrative action to enact changes to the California Health and Safety Code that will increase the daily reimbursement rate for board and care home residents who receive SSI, SSP, or Medi-Cal such that these reimbursements cover the actual costs of residents’ care.
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Councilmember Nithya Raman Statement In Opposition To Amendment To Municipal Code 41.18
For Immediate Release: August 2, 2022
LOS ANGELES -- Today, Councilmember Nithya Raman voted in opposition of a proposed amendment to LAMC 41.18, and issued the following statement in Council Chambers:
Today, I want to reiterate what I’ve said time and again on this Council floor, for anyone who might be tuning in for the first time. I’m the parent of six year old twins. I want them to be safe; It’s something I think about every single day. I also feel very strongly that, as a body, we need to be making effective policy here. We have to stop lying to our constituents; we have to stop making promises that the city simply cannot deliver on. We cannot pretend to parents, who are desperate for change in Los Angeles, that we can snap our fingers, pass a law, and end homelessness in LA by making it illegal to be homeless in various areas across the city.
In fact, we now have a year of experience on over 100 sites since the earlier version of the anti-camping ordinance was passed. In the majority of those encampments located in prohibited zones, what we’ve seen is that they haven’t moved at all, or they’ve simply moved 500 feet down the street. Neither of those outcomes create a safer environment for students in our schools.
We need to work towards real solutions backed by real resources that will result in a lasting change on our streets. And the thing that’s preventing us from having lasting change on our streets is not the lack of laws dictating where a person can and can’t be homeless in our city - we actually have plenty of those already on the books that were never suspended during COVID - it’s not having the resources that we need to end homelessness in Los Angeles.
I don’t want to see encampments around schools, or daycares, or anywhere else in LA. Homelessness is a humanitarian crisis. That’s why I want to encourage parents, school officials who are here and testified about these issues: don’t let us off the hook. Don’t let us pretend that we passed this law and suddenly the situation on our streets is going to change. We’ve actually done this for decades here in Los Angeles, and the situation on our streets has only gotten worse. We have to put a system into place where we are building for the first time in LA’s history, the number of shelter beds and housing units that we need in order to address homelessness effectively. This ordinance does not move us closer to that.
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