HOMELESS IN THE CITY

Motion - The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) was established in 1993 as a Joint Exercise of Power Agency (JPA) between the City and County of Los Angeles. Since its establishment LAHSA has operated as a central agency for the acceptance and distribution of millions of dollars in Federal funds for housing and services for the homeless. Pursuant to the terms of the JPA agreement, LAHSA operates semi-independently from the City and the County and is directly subject to the authority of a 10-member Board of Commissioners with five members appointed by the County Board of Supervisors and five members appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council of the City of Los Angeles. LAHSA allocates funds to and administers contracts with agencies across the County that provide emergency, transitional and permanent housing in addition to other services that assist homeless individuals. The results of the 2005 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count were recently announced by LAHSA, documenting 88,345 homeless individuals in the County of Los Angeles, more than half of whom (48,103) were found to live in the City of Los Angeles. On December 20, 2005 Council approved a Motion (Rosendahl / Perry - Greuel) for the formation of an Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness that is charged with developing recommendations relative to the City's efforts to address homelessness (C.F. 05-2258). THEREFORE MOVE that the City Council request that the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority (LAHSA) report to the Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness relative to the status of emergency shelter for the homeless in the City, the status and findings of audits being undertaken at LAHSA, the results of the 2005 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count as they relate to the City of Los Angeles and strategies and programs in place at LAHSA as it moves forward to address homelessness in the City of Los Angeles.