Councilwoman Traci Park Seeks Clearer LAHSA Budget Reporting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August  22, 2023

Contact: Jamie Paige, jamie.paige@lacity.org

LOS ANGELES, – Councilwoman Traci Park is urging for more transparency in how the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority(LAHSA) manages its finances, services and performance outcomes. In a motion presented to the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday, Park noted the guiding framework for reporting hasn’t been updated for over 20 years when homelessness numbers and spending was significantly less. 

"We deserve to know how LAHSA’s resources meant to address homelessness are allocated,” said Park. “Having access to data and information helps us to make informed policy decisions on how to best allocate our own funds and resources.”

The Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) — responsible for budgeting and resources for the unhoused — hasn't been updated since 2001. Back then, the City of Los Angeles gave only $1.6 million to LAHSA's yearly budget, and there were no official homeless counts. In contrast, the city allocated $264 million in the 2022-2023 Fiscal Year, including federal and state grants. With LAHSA's current budget approaching $1 billion this year, there's a pressing need to refresh the JPA, ensuring thorough budget details, service descriptions, and performance metrics.

"We need information that makes sense with how we spend money on the homelessness epidemic today–not a model used 20 years ago when the crisis was at a much different magnitude.” 

Park also noted that the proposed amendment not only mandates a comprehensive annual budget presentation from LAHSA, covering all funding sources – federal, state, county, local, and private – but also encourages transparency in the services provided and their associated costs.

Park underscored her motion, “ Will ensure that, annually, LAHSA’s budget, its origins, and its objectives are made transparent to all."

The motion now goes to the housing and homelessness committee. 
 

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