Three Los Angeles-area housing agencies have been forced to return a total of nearly $150 million in federal grants to the U.S. between 2015 and 2020. The agencies blame a difficult rental market.
between 2015 and 2020 and the money was returned to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to a newspaper report Saturday.
LAHSA's chief programs officer, Molly Rysman, blamed the problem on what she called HUD's "rigid" and "complex" funding system, which makes it challenging to spend funds quickly or reallocate money that can't be used for its original purpose. The county housing authority cited insufficient workable housing units and client referrals, poor credit and rental histories among the homeless population, and program attrition.Los Angeles neighborhoods are feeling the toll of the ongoing homeless crisis.
LAHSA has come under scrutiny for how it conducts the city's annual count of its unhoused population. Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez and three other council members called for a review of LAHSA's role in addressing the city's homelessness crisis last week.Martinez introduced two motions — one calling for options to have a third party conduct the city's annual homeless count, and one calling for a multi-year audit of LAHSA's previous counts.