Major Boost for Homeless Initiative? $51.5 Million Allocated to Aid Encampments Along 105 Freeway and River

Los Angeles County’s ongoing efforts to address its homelessness crisis received a major boost this week, with the announcement of a $51.5 million state grant aimed at providing housing and services to homeless individuals living in encampments along the 105 Freeway and adjacent riverbeds. In this article we talk about Major Boost for Homeless Initiative, $51.5 Million Allocated to Aid Encampments Along 105 Freeway and River.

The 3-year grant, awarded by the California Department of Housing and Community Development, will allow the county’s Homeless Initiative to significantly expand the reach of its Pathway Home encampment intervention program in one of the largest clusters of homeless camps countywide.

Sprawling Encampments Targeted

The targeted area stretches along the 105 Freeway from West Athens to Norwalk, encompassing the intersections with the Los Angeles River and San Gabriel River. Hundreds of people experiencing homelessness have erected tents, makeshift shelters, and parked RVs in the area, establishing sprawling encampments lacking sanitation and other basic necessities.

The $51.5 million in state funding will allow Pathway Home outreach teams to engage nearly 600 additional people, moving them from the encampments into interim housing resources like motel rooms while also helping secure permanent affordable housing placements.

Building on Early Success
Since first launching in August 2023, Pathway Home has already assisted nearly 600 previously homeless individuals who were living in the target area. So far, 562 have been moved into interim housing and 95 into permanent homes.

With the influx of new funding, the goal is to expand the existing efforts while also ensuring continued case management and supportive services for those already housed.

Holistic and Collaborative Approach

Janice Hahn, LA County Supervisor for the Fourth District encompassing the target communities, stressed that Pathway Home represents the kind of holistic and collaborative strategy needed to make real progress on the crisis of homelessness locally.

“The people of L.A. County want to see progress. This is the kind of strategy we need to double down on, and with this new state funding, we will be able to bring hundreds of people inside who have been living in sprawling encampments along the 105 Freeway,” she said.

The program brings together the coordinated efforts and resources of the county’s Homeless Initiative, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), and the statewide Encampment Resolution Funding (ERF) program.

$16 Million in Existing Funding

In total, Pathway Home now has access to over $67 million in funding for its work along the 105 Freeway and adjoining rivers. This includes $16 million from existing county sources and Measure H, approved by voters in 2017 to provide an ongoing funding stream for homelessness services.

“This money, along with the collaboration we are seeing at the local level, is essential to the continued success of L.A. County’s Pathway Home program,” said Supervisor Holly Mitchell, another key backer on the Board of Supervisors. “We are removing more disabled RVs and, most importantly, urgently working to provide housing and stability to our neighbors experiencing homelessness.”

Comprehensive Model to Address Crisis

For her part, Va Lecia Adams Kellum, Executive Director of LAHSA, touted Pathway Home as an important component of the county’s drive towards a more comprehensive, compassionate, and solutions-oriented approach to the crisis of homelessness impacting communities countywide.

“LAHSA and L.A. County have been leveraging the county’s emergency declaration to address the homelessness crisis through interventions like Pathway Home,” she said.

The collaborative encampment strategy combines intensive street outreach and engagement, temporary housing interventions to transition people off the streets, and intensive case management and supportive services aimed at boosting stability and self-sufficiency over the long-term.

Target Communities and Transit Access

In addition to the 105 Freeway corridor itself, the Pathway Home funding will focus on assisting homeless residents from several adjoining communities including West Athens, Willowbrook, Downey, Norwalk, South Gate, Lynwood, Santa Fe Springs, and areas of South L.A. near L.A. Metro stations.

The transit access is seen as crucial in terms of accessing both interim and permanent housing resources, as well as enabling access to ongoing case management meetings, benefits appointments, health services, and other needs.

While an exact timeline is still in development, county officials said Pathway Home operations staff are already preparing to scale up significantly thanks to the $51 million investment from the state. All involved emphasized the urgency of addressing the humanitarian crisis unfolding along the freeway and rivers, which also impacts quality of life for all residents while stretching public resources thin.

With the new funding and collaborative approach in place, the ambitious encampment program hopes to make major inroads, transitioning hundreds of homeless individuals into safe and supportive housing while restoring public spaces back to full community use. I sincerely hope you find this “Major Boost for Homeless Initiative, $51.5 Million Allocated to Aid Encampments Along 105 Freeway and River” article helpful.