Los Angeles getting another $9.3 million in federal funding for homeless crisis

LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- The city of Los Angeles has secured another $9.34 million in federal funding for the homelessness crisis, officials announced.

The office of Mayor Karen Bass, who was in Paris this weekend with a city delegation meeting with French officials ahead of the Summer Olympics, made the announcement.

Officials added that the funding was secured by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California Sen. Alex Padilla, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Los Angeles, Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Panorama City, Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles, and Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks.

"Our federal partners have shown their commitment, through this funding, to bringing people inside from the streets and to investing in housing so that we can keep more people housed and prevent them from falling into homelessness in the first place," Bass said. "I thank each of our partners for securing funding to save lives and locking arms to deliver for Angelenos."

The appropriations were part of the Fiscal Year 2024 transportation and housing spending bill signed by President Joe Biden on Saturday.

The money includes $3 million each for Mayor Karen Bass' signature Inside Safe initiative and for the Gower Street Apartments project, which will fund renovations for a supportive housing building for seniors who have previously experienced homelessness. Built in 1930, the building does not conform to contemporary standards of accessibility and the improvements will make the living arrangements safer, cleaner and more accessible, officials said.

Also included was $1.8 million for the Prentice Permanent Supportive Housing Improvements, which will renovate a 45-unit supportive housing building; $500,000 for the Saticoy Gardens Permanent Supportive Housing Renovations; $500,000 for a mixed-use affordable housing development at 411 N. Vermont St.; and $500,000 for Alabama Court Renovations.

For his part, Sherman separately announced overt $15 million in funds for projects in the San Fernando Valley and parts of the Westside of Los Angeles included in the legislation passed by Congress.

Those projects include food banks, fire station renovations, traffic renovations, Santa Monica Mountains preservation, after-school youth programs and Cal State Northridge's research in the field of aquaculture.

Other projects totaling $2 million will support efforts to deal with homelessness, drug addiction and hunger, he said.

Sherman added that he was hopeful to get funding approved for a west San Fernando Valley project that would assist efforts to move utility poles and overhead lines underground in order to reduce the risk of wildfires.

"I'm hopeful that next week that Congress will approve the federal funds I worked to secure for the West San Fernando Valley project, but that would be a bill considered next week," Sherman said.