L.A. Times Calls L.A.’s Ten Year Plan—Blah! Blah! Blah!

In a harshly worded article, the Los Angeles Times reported on Los Angeles County’s and City’s efforts to create a ten year plan to end homelessness. Here's the article. The plan’s official name is “Bring L.A. Home!” (BLAH!)

This “ten year plan” is mandated by the federal department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a requirement for receiving future HUD funds for homeless and housing programs. Currently, HUD gives Los Angeles County approximately $60 million per year.

So there is, of course, a financial motive in developing this plan. The two entities that coordinated this planning effort were: the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and the Los Angeles Coalition To End Hunger and Homelessness.

Dozens of cities around the country have finished their ten year plans, including California cities of Pasadena and San Francisco.

Almost three years ago, a blue ribbon panel of community members was formed to develop this ten year plan. I was appointed to this panel. (I am also on Long Beach’s Ten Year Plan working group.)

L.A.’s plan is slated to be completed in early March.

I met with the Los Angeles Times editorial board in October 2004 to discuss homelessness in Los Angeles. They asked me about L.A.’s ten year plan process, fishing for controversy. I told them that since we were in the middle of the plan, it would be inappropriate for me to comment.

My official comment today, is what I have been saying for the past three years, “Writing a plan to ending homelessness is the ‘easy’ part. Actually implementing a plan that will actually end homelessness is the hard part…”