REP LIEU SECURES NEARLY $11 MILLION FOR LOCAL PROJECTS, INCLUDING $5.8 MILLION FOR HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) announced that he secured $5.8 million for five community funding projects to help address homelessness in Los Angeles County in the Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package signed into law by President Biden.

The funding will be used to convert a parking structure in Santa Monica into affordable housing; improve infrastructure at four homeless encampment sites in Torrance; and create a pilot program at the LA City Mayor's Office of City Homelessness Initiatives to improve crisis and incident response for people experiencing a mental health crisis or homelessness. In addition, it will help UCLA bring mobile healthcare to people living without housing, and fund renovations on the West Los Angeles VA Campus.

"The homelessness crisis in America is a national disgrace. We must do more to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness. I'm pleased that the local homelessness projects I advocated for have been included in the FY 2022 government spending package. This funding will go directly toward building housing and providing support for those experiencing homelessness in our district. I will continue to fight for our district in Congress to ensure we receive the federal funding we need to tackle this persistent challenge."

For local projects to address homelessness, Rep. Lieu secured:

• $1.5 million for the City of LA's Crisis and Incident Response through Community-Led Engagement (CIRCLE) Pilot Program. The pilot's target will be non-emergency calls to 911 involving a person experiencing a mental health crisis and/or homelessness. CIRCLE calls will come to the LAPD's 911 system or the police non-emergency number. LAPD dispatchers will be trained to recognize non-violent situations with a behavioral health and/or homelessness component, and route those calls to CIRCLE. A team will respond, assess the situation, and provide immediate stabilization in cases of urgent medical need or psychological crisis. These response teams will be equipped with one outreach worker, a licensed behavioral health clinician, and a community ambassador. They will also provide assessment, information, referral, advocacy and, when warranted, transportation to the next step in treatment.
  
• $2 million for the City of Santa Monica's Santa Monica Parking Lot Affordable Housing Conversion. This project will convert a parking structure into affordable housing to provide permanent supportive housing for persons experiencing homelessness. This critical housing meets regional and national priorities and will provide housing for some of the neediest members of our community.
  
• $1 million for the City of Torrance's Homelessness Response Project. This project will: Strengthen the City's infrastructure at encampment sites; Retain Outreach Workers and Housing Navigators; and Identify City sites for potential permanent supportive or transitional housing. This request will allow four encampments to receive crucial infrastructure improvements such as wrought iron fencing, hazardous waste removal, and landscaping.
  
• $600,000 for UCLA's Mobile Healthcare Program. The UCLA Mobile Healthcare Program is designed to provide preventative care to the most vulnerable patients: unhoused veterans and others experiencing homelessness, the uninsured and the undocumented. UCLA will bring medical and behavioral health care to these vulnerable communities by partnering with agencies and organizations to treat patients in novel settings, like homeless encampments. There is significant need for mobile healthcare programs throughout Los Angeles County. This program would be a benefit to taxpayers by helping to meet this need. Treating patients before their conditions require a trip to the emergency room not only leads to better health outcomes, but it is also cost-effective for the Medicare and Medicaid programs because emergency department care is much more costly than providing care in almost any other care setting.
  
• $749,650 for US Vets's Arnold Avenue Rehabilitation Project at the West Los Angeles VA. This funding will help renovate Arnold Ave on the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center Campus. When complete, the dilapidated road will be transformed into a pedestrian friendly space that supports wellness and community integration for the residents of Buildings 206, 207, and 300, which are in the process of being converted into permanent supportive housing for veterans experiencing homelessness. This project is a part of a larger "transportation backbone" plan, that will improve the accessibility of the entire north campus pursuant to the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center Draft Master Plan.

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