Committee approves FY25–26 homelessness funding plan, asks for follow-ups; public urges restoration of mobile shower funding

The Los Angeles City Council Committee on Housing and People Experiencing Homelessness on Wednesday approved a set of fiscal-year 2025–26 funding recommendations for homelessness interventions, including allocations for interim housing, Homekey rehabilitation and master-lease subsidies, while directing staff to return with follow-up reports on several program areas.

The committee approved the CAO (Chief Administrative Officer) and LAHSA/LHD (Los Angeles Housing Department) recommendations as amended by committee members, voting 3-0 (Councilmembers Román, Jurado and Bloomfield in favor). Committee members and staff discussed details of program categories, operational funding, Homekey site rehabilitations, and a set of requested clarifications and additional reports before the vote.

Why it matters: Committee members repeatedly said they wanted clearer transparency and tracking for how city funds are used across multiple homelessness programs. Members pressed staff for site-by-site breakdowns, operational vs. rental-cost accounting, and reports back to the committee on mobile hygiene services, master-lease operations and vendor oversight, saying those follow-ups are needed before funds are spent or future NOFAs are released.

Key points from the meeting

- Report totals and budget framing: CAO staff presented the fiscal plan as including approximately $236.2 million in homelessness-related funding and identified other line items including roughly $13.9 million in general-fund support and a $16.3 million program-level figure highlighted during the presentation. Staff described these amounts as the basis for the FY25–26 plan and as funding that would be apportioned across rental subsidies, site operations, and program services.

- Mobile hygiene (showers) and public comment: Multiple public commenters and nonprofit volunteers urged the committee to restore full funding to mobile-shower and hygiene programs operated by Share of Hope (also referenced in the record as Shower(s) of Hope). Commenters said the program provided about 37,000 showers last year and warned that three shower sites would close at the end of the week without restored funding. John Palser, a volunteer (public comment), said, “Ahora esos 37,000 personas en Los Ángeles que necesitaban esos servicios están a peligro a perderlos.” Another commenter from Allsence Church said, “Una ducha es un derecho humano básico.”

- Staff clarification on mobile-hygiene funding: Sandy Lee of the CAO responded that “cuando estamos hablando sobre las duchas móviles, hay fondos” in the adopted budget package, and that some funding for mobile hygiene — including sites in Council District 1 and 13 — was incorporated in the budget as presented. Lee said additional designations and hub funding questions remained and staff would return with precise hub-account balances.

- Master-lease and subsidy funding: Committee members pressed staff for clarity on how up to $5.2 million described in the report would be used for master-lease operations and rental subsidies. Michael Farc (CAO/CEO office staff) explained the funds support operational costs and time-limited rental subsidies (vouchers) at certain pilot sites and that the funds were intended to support ongoing operations, repairs, property management and services.

- Site-specific allocations and Homekey: The CAO and LHD presentations listed numerous recommendation numbers tied to specific sites (for example references to sites on Alvarado, Mission and Melville avenues and to Homekey rehabilitation sites). Staff said operational funding and rental costs were sometimes presented separately in the report and in attachment tables; committee members asked staff to return with a consolidated site-by-site breakdown.

- Committee directions and follow-ups: The committee adopted a set of non-controversial technical amendments and three staff‑directed follow-ups, including requests that LHD/CAO: (1) return with a site-level breakdown of operations and funding for the master-lease and other interim housing sites; (2) report back on mobile-hygiene program funding and hub-account balances; and (3) provide a status report on contracts and monitoring requirements tied to the Alliance settlement and the court-monitored oversight referenced during public comment.

What the committee voted on

- The committee approved the CAO’s FY25–26 homelessness funding report as amended and instructed staff to incorporate multiple technical and policy changes discussed at the hearing (approved 3-0).

- The committee approved the LHD report on the NOFA/regulatory draft with amendments and directed LHD to return with clarifications before the NOFA is issued (approved 3-0).

- The committee approved the LHD plan of expenditures for the United Housing fund for FY25–26 with the technical deletions and modifications described by committee members (approved 3-0).

Quotes and attributions

- “Cuando estamos hablando sobre las duchas móviles, hay fondos,” said Sandy Lee, CAO office staff, describing how mobile-hygiene funding was reflected in the presented budget.

- “Una ducha es un derecho humano básico,” said a volunteer from Allsence Church during public comment.

- “Ahora esos 37,000 personas en Los Ángeles que necesitaban esos servicios están a peligro a perderlos,” said John Palser, a volunteer with Share of Hope, describing recent service counts and closures.

Context and next steps

Committee members said the decisions aim to move funds into operation while ensuring oversight, and they emphasized that staff must return with clearer accounting and performance data. The committee’s votes were unanimous among the three members present; members required that disclosure paperwork and any outstanding financial filings be completed before nominees in separate agenda items moved to the full council. Staff were asked to provide the requested follow-up materials at the committee’s next meeting or at the first available hearing after the recess.

Clarifying details (as stated in the record)

- CAO reported approximately $236.2 million identified for homelessness interventions in the FY25–26 plan (presentation excerpt).

- Staff referenced $13.9 million in general-fund amounts and $16.3 million described in program-level detail during the presentation.

- Public commenters and nonprofit volunteers said Share of Hope provided about 37,000 showers in the prior year and warned three shower sites would cease operations at the end of the week without restored funding.

Ending

The committee adopted the funding package with the requested technical changes and multiple instructions for staff to return with follow-up reports. Committee members said they expect the additional materials to clarify site-level spending, hub balances for mobile hygiene, contract-monitoring roles and the timeline for NOFA issuance.