Times Columnist Highlights Homeless Service Cuts In Mayor’s Budget

Steve Lopez, the LA Times columnist who wrote a feature on Skid Row, doesn’t mince words. (See today’s column.) Some agency programs providing shelter for L.A.’s Homeless are being cut out of this year’s city budget. (PATH is one of the agencies—referred to as the “Hollywood shelter” in Lopez’s article.)

These funds are from the federal government’s CDBG (Community Development Block Grant). They are being cut by $364 million nationwide. Groups around the country are trying to fight these cuts. Los Angeles is losing $15 million. Less money, means less services to help the poor and homeless.

Councilmember Eric Garcetti wrote an op-ed piece about this back in February 2005.

Mayor Villaraigosa was off to Washington, D.C. to fight for L.A.’s funding.

Interestingly, Lopez states that one reason why the mayor’s office is not refunding these cuts from other city dollars is because they wanted to send a message to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), the agency that manages government homeless funds for Los Angeles City and County.

Here’s what Lopez said:
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But his (the mayor’s) staff said his proposed cuts were intended to send a message that the homeless services agency (LAHSA) needs to do a better job with what it's got and work more closely with the city on solutions to homelessness. Last year, the city controller took a look at the books and said: "This place is a mess."