LOS ANGELES — Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez announced that her office secured over $6 million dollars from the State Encampment Resolution Funding Program (ERF) to address unsheltered homelessness along State Route 110 from Stadium Way to Avenue 52. The funding will cover a comprehensive engagement and rehousing plan to bring up to 70 people experiencing homelessness inside and connect them to permanent housing.
“An unprecedented crisis calls for an unprecedented response from all levels of government,” said Councilmember Hernandez. “This investment will allow us to continue our Care First approach by resolving dozens of encampments along the 110 freeway and putting people on the path to permanent supportive housing. I am grateful to the California Department of Housing and Community Development for their support in this effort as we continue to take on this crisis head on.”
The ERF grant will be used to support street-based outreach efforts to individuals in encampments along the four-mile stretch of SR110 as well as funding for both interim and permanent housing. Council District 1 will coordinate a multi-agency operation that includes service providers, LAHSA, LA Sanitation, and Caltrans to create and implement a comprehensive engagement plan to facilitate housing and services for each individual. People experiencing homelessness will be able to come indoors through interim housing and receive services to get them document-ready during their transition into permanent housing. This will create the opportunity to safely remove makeshift structures that pose a danger to both inhabitants and nearby residents.
Leveraging State Resources for Hard-to-Reach Areas
Encampments in this area have been historically hard-to-reach due to its unique geography and the number of jurisdictional entities. During extreme weather, the area can become exceedingly dangerous as rain and soil erosion cause hillside encampments to become vulnerable to flash flooding. Councilmember Hernandez’s team and service partners – including LAHSA and PATH outreach teams – have conducted weekly outreach over the last eighteen months to provide housing and service referrals.
Councilmember Hernandez has lobbied state and local agencies to unlock dedicated housing resources to address the challenges facing the area. The California Department of Housing and Community Development Encampment Resolution Funding Program is a grant program available to assist local jurisdictions in their efforts to provide services and support to people experiencing homelessness in encampments that results in meaningful paths to safe and stable housing. Council District 1 was awarded a grant in the amount of $6,309,880.50.
###