Ending LA’s Homeless Industrial Complex
The Trump administration is turning off the money tap to end federal financing of the Los Angeles homeless industrial complex. This is an important first step toward reclaiming America’s streets and its tax dollars.
TL;DR
- The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) suspended federal funding for the LA Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).
- HUD cited repeated false statements, weak financial controls, conflicts of interest, and failure to safeguard taxpayer dollars.
- A federal judge previously noted LAHSA sought funding for a shelter operating at half capacity.
- The Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, overseen by VP JD Vance, is targeting waste and corruption in federal programs.
- LAHSA CEO Va Lecia Adams Kellum resigned after it was revealed the agency paid $2.1 million to a nonprofit employing her husband.
- The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors also ended its association with LAHSA.
- The article argues for a paradigm shift in judging homelessness programs based on outcomes (fewer people on streets) rather than inputs (dollars spent).
- The current system is accused of incentivizing bureaucracy rather than ending homelessness.