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County begins review of General Relief program; DPSS proposes redesign and expanded supports
Summary
The Department of Public Social Services presented a review of Los Angeles County—s General Relief (GR) program and proposed a redesign focused on increased grant levels, revised time limits, and better integration with housing, SSI advocacy and employment services; no final changes were adopted at the Feb. 25 meeting.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services Director Jackie Contreras on Feb. 25 outlined a redesign effort for the county—s General Relief (GR) program, which provides cash assistance to single adults with little or no income and is funded entirely from county net county cost.
Key points: DPSS said GR is the state—s largest program of its kind, serving roughly 124,000 people with a monthly individual grant of $221; 68 percent of GR recipients are unhoused and there is racial disproportionality with Black residents overrepresented in the caseload. The department said the grant and program structure date to older statutory standards and that time limits, grant amounts and ancillary program rules inhibit economic self-sufficiency.
DPSS recommendations under study: Contreras proposed a multi-pronged redesign including (1) reassessing grant levels (the Welfare & Institutions Code sets a $342 floor in some contexts), (2) removing administrative and policy barriers that disincentivize participation in housing subsidies (example: requiring GR recipients to contribute $100 of the $221 monthly grant toward a housing subsidy was flagged as a disincentive), and (3) changing the nine-month-in-a-year time limit for able-bodied participants to a longer allowance (examples discussed included a policy similar to CalWORKs lifetime limits).
Service integration and SSI conversions: DPSS said it is expanding partnerships with Department of Health Services (CBEST SSI advocacy), Department of Mental Health, and workforce agencies to increase transitions to SSI and employment where appropriate; the department presented results showing previous SSI conversions recovered county dollars after conversion.
Budget and equity concerns: DPSS emphasized the program—s net-county cost (approximated hundreds of millions annually) and urged a coordinated approach with prevention, measure A and housing strategies; supervisors asked for data comparing county grant levels and program designs across California and pushed for performance measures and clearer cost-offset analyses.
Next steps: DPSS will engage stakeholders, pursue guaranteed-income pilot ideas in collaboration with the poverty-alleviation initiative, and return with more detailed budget and implementation proposals; supervisors requested further work on performance metrics and further engagement with LAHSA, DHS, DMH and philanthropy.
Ending: Contreras said the redesign will be iterative and depend on funding availability, stronger interagency coordination and community input.
