LA Housing: LA Alliance Files Settlement Agreement and HUD Approves Higher Voucher Payment Standard

LA Alliance Files Settlement Agreement in Federal Court

LOS ANGELES — The LA Alliance for Human Rights filed an addendum to its settlement agreement with Los Angeles County.  This agreement is the third attempt and the result of months of work and negotiations with the county to provide treatment beds and services to Los Angeles’ homeless population. The Alliance and County will appear Thursday before Judge David O. Carter to finalize the deal, which brings much-needed resources to bear on the region’s homeless crisis.  

Since filing its lawsuit in 2020, the Alliance has demanded three things:  Immediate shelter/housing, treatment for all and clean and safe streets for the entire community. Last year, the City of Los Angeles settled its portion of the lawsuit. Now, the county is poised to agree to its crucial piece of treatment beds and services after Judge Carter rejected previous insufficient offers.  

The negotiated points are:

• An increase of 3,000 mental health and substance use disorder beds,
• An increase of 450 enriched residential care beds for those with serious mental illnesses, and
• Monitoring of the county’s progress over the four years of the agreement.

More information will be made available as details are finalized.

HUD Approves Higher Voucher Payment Standard for HACLA Voucher Programs 

LOS ANGELES —  The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles or HACLA Sept. 25 announced the agency’s request for an increase in the voucher payment standard or VPS for its tenant and project based voucher programs has been granted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or HUD. 

The new VPS takes effect Oct. 1 for new contracts. The published rate is the maximum contract rent allowable if supported by a rent comparability study. 

HACLA also has higher payments for certain communities in 70 higher opportunity zip codes, called Small Area Fair Market Rents. 

Details: HACLA at 213-252-1619; hip@hacla.org.