LA Briefs: Veterans Eligible for Increased Housing Options and Breathe Guaranteed Income Expanded for Foster Youth

Following National Advocacy By Mayors, More Veterans Eligible for Increased Housing Options

LOS ANGELES — Following the advocacy of Mayor Bass and the United States Conference of Mayors to the federal government, a new policy change will make more veterans eligible for housing and increase their housing options. Today, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development or HUD Aug. 8 published a federal notice establishing policy stating veterans experiencing homelessness should not be disqualified from supportive housing based on their disability status.

The United States conference of mayors task Force on homelessness has focused on drawing attention to the reality that across the country, veterans are sometimes forced to choose between housing and their disability income, leaving too many units for veterans vacant and too many HUD Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing Vouchers (HUD-VASH) unused. 

This policy change follows actions and advocacy by mayors, including:

• U.S. conference of mayors or USCM task force on homelessness – As chair of the United States conference of mayors task force on homelessness, Mayor Bass and then-USCM President Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve led a bipartisan group of more than 50 mayors from across the country to meet with members of the Biden-Harris Administration, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives. While there, they advocated for this change in veteran eligibility directly with the Acting Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
• Partnership through ALLINside – Mayor Bass secured an agreement with the White House and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness as Los Angeles was selected to be one of five cities to enter in a partnership called ALL INside, an initiative to address unsheltered homelessness across the country. The mayor’s office of housing and homelessness, USICH, HUD and the White House Office of Management and Budget Aug. 7 convened with L.A. housing leaders to build on efforts to remove barriers to housing and to discuss the need for more housing vouchers, increasing the project base voucher cap for housing authorities, and funding for programs to prevent and end homelessness.
• Expediting Housing Access: Aafter declaring a local homelessness emergency, Mayor Bass partnered with local housing providers including the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles and the L.A. County Development Authority and helped secure waivers from HUD the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to expedite the process of moving unhoused Angelenos people into housing. Last week, HUD approved the city’s request to extend the presumptive eligibility waiver for another year by HUD.

HUD is expanding access to housing for veterans by: 

• Requiring public housing agencies that administer HUD-VASH to set the initial income eligibility for veterans at 80%, rather than 50%, of area median income. The use of this higher initial income eligibility threshold is optional, but HUD is now making this increase mandatory. This expanded eligibility will allow for more veterans to be housed.
• Adopting an alternative definition of annual income for applicants and participants of the  HUD-VASH program that excludes veterans’ service-connected disability benefits when determining eligibility for housing. This change will mean that veterans, including those who are most severely disabled, will no longer need to choose between their benefits and housing.

HUD-VASH is a collaborative program that pairs HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher or HCV rental assistance with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs case management supportive services. The Los Angeles Housing Department and the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles are expected to issue guidance to come into alignment with HUD’s new policy on veteran income eligibility.

LA County to Expand Breathe Guaranteed Income Program

Breathe, Los Angeles County’s guaranteed income program which began by supporting 1,000 County residents with $1000 a month for three years will soon expand to offer 2,000 more people a path to financial stability.

“When we started working to implement Breathe, we had a simple vision: to provide no-strings-attached funding that would mean real economic liberty for Angelenos. Since then, we have seen families be able to pay for childcare and rent and grow their savings for the first time. I am proud of this second expansion of Breathe, which will reach young people during the vulnerable stage of transitioning out of our foster care system,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell.

The program’s expansion, adopted by the Board of Supervisors Aug. 6, will provide 2,000 foster youth between the ages of 18 and 21 with $500 monthly or $1,500 quarterly stipends for up to 18 months. Youth who are eligible for this new expansion will be notified by their Department of Children and Family Services social worker. More information around eligibility can also be found here.

Guaranteed income programs provide households with cash support with no strings attached in hopes of providing financial stability and broadening recipients’ horizons, allowing them the time to complete deferred education and job training and participate more fully in their communities. Early research, like that undertaken by University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Guaranteed Income Research or CGIR, shows that programs are meeting these goals.

Early data from the Breathe program, gathered by CGIR, found that the additional income is being used primarily to purchase food, groceries, and household goods, resulting in a reduction of economic stress for participants. Full data and research findings on the program will be released in early 2027. The program first expanded last summer to include 200 former foster youth with $1,000 per month for two years.

In addition to expanding Breathe, the County’s Poverty Alleviation Initiative is leading coordination across 12 guaranteed income projects that have launched countywide across cities, nonprofits, and other government agencies, serving more than 8,500 participants.

Details: ceo.lacounty.gov/pai/breathe/

Click here for our latest video on the Breathe program.