The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the restoration of nearly $9.8 million for programs to address and prevent youth homelessness.
The motion by Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Holly Mitchell received a 5-0 vote and resumes funding for “transitional age youth” and homelessness prevention programs. The move reverses cuts proposed in the county Chief Executive Office’s April 1 report on recommendations for the upcoming fiscal year.
Programs serving transitional age youth ages 16-25 at heightened risk of homelessness received a full $5.6 million restoration, while homelessness prevention services and legal and financial support programs got a 25% resumption of funding totaling over $3.4 million and $811,000, respectively.
The funds will come from redirected allocations within the county Public Defender’s Office, the joint city-county Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and the county Department of Health Services. LAHSA’s share is over $5.4 million, DHS will contribute nearly $3.9 million and the Public Defender’s Office will give just over $507,000.
“This restoration is about protecting our most vulnerable youth and ensuring we don’t let up on the progress we’ve made to prevent homelessness before it begins,” Barger said in a statement. “We’re sending a clear message that we need to keep these safety nets strong, especially for our young adults trying to gain stability and independence.”
Supervisors also directed the Chief Executive Office to explore options for sustaining these programs in the future as part of the county’s regular and supplemental budget processes, including possible funding via the county Affordable Housing Solutions Agency.
“Our young people transitioning out of the County’s foster care system — which is the largest in the nation — are one of the most vulnerable populations to experience poverty that results in them becoming unhoused,” Mitchell said in a statement. “Ensuring funding is in place for the County’s Transitional Age Youth is a necessary investment in our fight to end the homelessness crisis.”
Approximately 3,277 young people in LA County on any given night experience homelessness, according to the 2024 Los Angeles Youth Count.
