Understanding and Supporting Proposition HHH
This is a City of Los Angeles proposition to finance municipal bonds to build supportive housing for the chronically homeless. Smith, “Measure Will Test Voters Support for the Homeless”, LA Times 10/20/16 The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Los Angeles are leading this effort. This bond measure would help build 10,000 dedicated units of supportive housing. The countywide need is for 25,000 homeless housing units of which only 9,000 currently exist.
The chronically homeless (i.e. homeless for at least a year) are individuals suffering from mental illness often combined with severe substance abuse who lack anywhere to live and the means to pay for it. Supportive housing offers the mental health services, substance abuse treatments and subsidized housing that allows the chronically homeless a place to live and the support services they need to stay housed and get better.
Prop HHH would help finance the construction of these units dedicated to housing the chronically homeless; it will cost homeowners $9.64 annually per $100,000 of property tax valuation. In other words, if your LA city home is valued at $300,000 for the purposes of your property tax, you would pay just under $30 annually. Likewise if your home is valued at $3 million on your property tax bill, you would pay $300 annually.
Prop HHH would not pay for the mental health services or substance abuse treatments or the housing subsidies. These are paid by the county mental health and substance abuse treatment and city housing agencies. The Affordable Care Act and California’s 2020 Medicaid waiver pay for the supportive health services.
The state of Utah is the successful pioneer in establishing these programs. They have reported a 90% success rate in reducing chronic homelessness among those participating in their program. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-utah-housing-first-20150524-story.html
This is not a cure-all for homelessness as there are 47,000 homeless individuals who quite simply cannot afford the city’s rising rents on their very small incomes. The County of Los Angeles’ plan is expected to be presented to the county’s voters next March. http://priorities.lacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/HI-Report-Approved2.pdf
Vote to reduce homelessness in our city!
Prepared by: Lucien Wulsin
Dated: 10/21/16