Update From Supervisor Shiela Kuehl
Last week the Board authorized the Director of the New Los Angeles County Development Authority to accept 5 million in fair housing funding to hire 5 new staff members to create a new customer services program to work with our section 8 landlords to provide additional services to help retain and expand the pool of landlords working with our section 8 voucher holders and provides funding for outreach and education for the recently passed source of income discrimination ban which prevents landlords from discriminating based on payment type. This works in conjunction with our homeless incentive program that provides up to one month of rent for landlords to keep units open while qualifying Section 8 Voucher Holders, provides funding for unit repairs, and covers move in expense like first month, last month, security deposit, and furniture cost to create real incentives for landlords to work with section 8 voucher holders.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced their plan to roll back protections for transgender people experiencing homelessness. Allowing HUD-funded shelters to consider a person’s gender identity in determining whether they can be admitted not only reverses critical protections created under the Obama administration, it exacerbates homelessness among an already vulnerable population.
The Board also voted to develop a comprehensive plan with recommendations to prevent the displacement or eviction of families that would be effected by the HUD proposal to strip assistance to mixed immigration status families. Presently eligible family members can receive assistance even if they live with ineligible family members, HUD prorates the amount of the assistence based on the status of individuals in the home. In many instances this is an American born child living with a parent or grandparent that is undocumented. This rule if institute would risk pushing thousands of individuals out of their secure housing and possibly into homelessness. The report will provide the county with a plan in case this comes to pass.
The board heard the interim report on Alternatives to Incarceration, while this is just an interim report with the full report coming out in December the clear concept that is coming to light is the importance of using Jail as an absolute last resort. The goal is to ultimately design a countywide system of treatment and care that recognizes the personal histories of individuals and the issues that brought them into the criminal justice system in the first place with a keen focus on rehabilitation and re-entry into society with the resources necessary to be successful.
The Board of Supervisors approved a motion introduced by Supervisor Kuehl and Supervisor Ridley Thomas on Tuesday which creates pilot jobs training program at the county’s women’s jail, aiming to lower recidivism rates. The program will provide basic professional development services to eligible inmates, including soft skills training, resume assistance, professional development and case management. In addition eligible women will also have access to industry-specific training and job placement when they re-enter into society.
And that is it from the county!