After an initial settlement proposal “fell short” in the eyes of a federal judge, Los Angeles County officials announced on Wednesday, April 19, that they have reached a new proposed deal to resolve a longstanding lawsuit filed by a coalition of businesses and residents claiming government response to the area’s homelessness crisis has been historically lax.
According to the county, the new proposed settlement would commit an additional $850.5 million to fund beds, services, outreach efforts and interim housing. That money is on top of $293 million the county had previously committed in hopes of providing 6,700 new beds in response to the lawsuit by the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights.
The new settlement proposal would include 1,000 new mental health and substance-abuse beds for the homeless — up from 300 in the original proposed resolution — along with 450 housing subsidies for those at risk of falling into homelessness.
County officials also said the new proposal would increase the number of county outreach teams, spread out among all 15 Los Angeles City Council districts, and also provide medical and social services for the more than 13,000 beds the city has agreed to provide as part of its separate settlement with the L.A. Alliance.
“We are locking arms with our partners at L.A. city and doubling down on our resolve to address this crisis of homelessness together, with the shared aim of saving lives, alleviating suffering and finding truly regional solutions to move us forward,” county Board of Supervisors Chair Janice Hahn said in a statement.
U.S. District Judge David Carter approved the city’s settlement with the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights last June, but he said during a hearing in January that the county’s pledge to provide 300 additional beds for homeless people with mental health or substance use disorders “fell short.” The judge also appeared irked at the proposal’s lack of a judicial oversight requirement. Without the…
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