The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) is now offering motel vouchers to the homeless as the weather turns cold and wet.
Los Angeles County offers motel vouchers for homeless. (Photo: LATIMES)
Motel Vouchers for Homeless
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority has a new winter shelter program. Before, when the weather turns cold and wet, the homeless in the city and county has two only two options. Either they hunker down or get to one of the winter shelters anywhere in Los Angeles County.
This time, the county offers motel vouchers for the homeless. The initiative was made after the county downsized its winter shelter program from 11 sites last year to five sites this year. The money saved will be used for 142 vouchers a day for the homeless in Los Angeles City and 367 across the county, according to a published article in Los Angeles Times.
LAHSA’s Interim Executive Director Stephen David Simon said “addresses the number of fixed beds that often went unused many nights and redirects those resources where extreme weather makes staying on the street the most untenable.”
Augmented Winter Shelter Program
LAHSA calls this program as Augmented Winter Shelter Program. This will only be implemented if the following below will happen:
- The National Weather Service forecasts three days of low daytime temperatures accompanied by night wind chill of 32 degrees or less.
- A forecast of 1 inch of rain in 24 hours.
- A forecast of three consecutive days of 1 to 4 inches of rain or more accompanied by temperatures at or below 50 degrees.
- The National Weather Service issues a flood watch or warning.
- Other undefined conditions deemed by officials to pose a critical need
If this will happen, the county will request vouchers through its 211 system that will arrange a ride-sharing to pick up and drop off the homeless to its motel partners.
