COUNTERPOINT: $100 million will not solve homelessness in LA

In a surprising and sweeping policy move, the Los Angeles City Council declared a state of emergency for the homeless in Los Angeles, promising to devote $100 million to finding tangible solutions to the alarmingly increasing homeless population. And while it’s easy to get swept up by the bold political promise, advocates for the homeless should remain skeptical about the plan’s ability to sustain reduced homelessness.

On one hand, Los Angeles City Council seems to be on the cusp of cutting-edge policy for low-income Angelenos, when coupling their latest initiative with their decision to raise the minimum wage to $15 earlier this year. And it’s commendable that the City Council, on a symbolic level, is making homelessness a priority.

But the political motivations of City Council cast doubt on the sustainability of a true initiative to eradicate homelessness. Considering that Los Angeles was officially chosen as a candidate for the 2024 Olympics less than a month ago, it’s suspicious that the City Council chooses now to unveil its big homelessness proposal. If City Council wants to clean up the streets just for the Olympics, the plan may be less of a long-term solution and more of a band-aid to cover a gaping hole.

More importantly, though the dollar figure looks impressive, the plan might not be enough. The $100 million pales in comparison to the $41 billion that New York City plans to spend on affordable housing in 10 years. And we should not overestimate the impact of $100 million or underestimate the size of the impenetrable twisted knot that is the issue of homelessness in Los Angeles. As advocate Alice Callaghan told the Chicago Tribune, “a hundred million dollars won’t even buy all the homeless pillows.”

Moreover, the city already spends an estimated $100 million on the homeless — albeit mostly in enforcement. So though it’s smart to reallocate this money to prevention, it’s not particularly groundbreaking.

Most of the plan’s effectiveness can be evaluated not from the sticker tag, but from the details of the plan which have yet to be announced. If the plan has similar goals to Mayor Eric Garcetti’s homelessness plan — to expand housing, treatment and service options — it will do some good, but probably not enough. It just doesn’t take into account all the factors that accrue into long-term homelessness.

Most notably, Los Angeles cannot attack the homelessness problem without realizing its race problem. Half of the homeless in Los Angeles are black — even though this demographic only accounts for approximately 9 percent of the city’s population. And though a lack of affordable housing creates an acute issue of homelessness and poverty, especially for communities of color, comes overwhelmingly from a school-to-prison pipeline, a biased criminal justice system, poorer education standards and a lack of local job opportunities. The City Council should accompany its plan with solutions to these bigger structural issues — it can start by decriminalizing homelessness by repealing its June ordinances which allow officials to confiscate the belongings of the homeless.

Though City Council’s decision to allocate $100 million to homelessness puts the issue on a public agenda, let’s not rejoice just yet. Such funding can be the beginning of a sustainable anti-poverty movement, but it must be spent effectively. For those of us who would desperately like the streets around USC to be a little more accomodating to its homeless: It’s a good time to be optimistic — but don’t hold your breath.

Sonali Seth is a sophomore majoring in political science and policy, planning, and development. She is also the editorial director of the Daily Trojan. “Point/Counterpoint” runs Mondays.