California Controversy

Dysfunctional LA Politics

When Karen Bass was elected mayor of Los Angeles, it seemed that the city’s shameful neglect of its housing crisis would finally end. Bass, after all, is a progressive, and she staked much of her political capital during her mayoral campaign on a pledge to tackle the interconnected crises of homelessness and a dearth of affordable or supportive housing in the sprawling city.

Housing ReformPaul AsplundAugust 12, 2024homeless, los angeles, karen bass, Fair Housing, Housing Accountability UnitComment

Veterans Affairs

Disability payments had sometimes been considered compensation and pushed veterans over the income limits for receiving assistance. The policy was changed Thursday. Following decades of grievances, the federal government on Thursday changed a policy that disqualified some disabled veterans from receiving subsidized housing.

The new policy raises the limit on how much income a veteran can earn to qualify for housing assistance through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s supportive housing program.

Housing ReformPaul AsplundAugust 9, 2024veterans, VA, Veterans Affairs, homelessness, policy change, disability, veterans row, housingComment

Can homelessness in L.A. ever be ‘rare, brief and nonrecurring’?

Earlier this fall, the chief executives of several local foundations gathered at the Southern California Grantmakers offices to discuss expanding their efforts to combat L.A.’s growing homelessness crisis.