Residents, legal groups urge City Council to extend StayHoused LA contract amid administration delay

Dozens of tenants, community-based organizations and legal aid providers urged the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday to extend and fully fund the StayHoused LA contract, saying administrative delays threaten eviction-prevention services and rental assistance just weeks before the new fiscal year.

"I have benefited from it and I'm still benefiting from it at this present time," said Matthew Carson, a program participant, asking the council to "please get this contract signed" so he does not become unhoused.

The appeals came during an extended public comment period dominated by tenants and legal-service representatives who said the April council approval of the StayHoused LA program opened cases, hired staff and obligated community partners to serve hundreds of families. Speakers warned that without an executed contract and interim funding, organizations will be unable to accept new cases, pay staff or disburse rental assistance.

"We demand city council extend the contract for StayHoused LA one year and fully fund the program for this period," said Jessica of the Liberty Hill Foundation, which manages subcontracts for community organizations. "Without an extension, nonprofit legal aid providers and community organizations will be defunded on July 1, cutting off services for low-income, undocumented and at-risk tenants."

Councilmember Nithya Raman, chair of the Council's Housing and Homelessness Committee, told speakers she was working to prevent a service gap. "There is an item on Friday's agenda that addresses the ongoing funding for this tranche of work, and should get us to ensuring that there's no gap in services," Raman said. "I will do everything in my power to ensure that whatever is passed on Friday does that for us."

Legal services leaders and community navigators described the immediate operational impacts. Elena Pop, executive director of Eviction Defense Network, said her organization retained cases and hired staff in reliance on the April approval and that refusing to sign a contract "this close to the new fiscal year is cruel to the families we are helping." She said Eden had roughly 2,000 families in active assistance and that staff risk furloughs if funding lapses.

Barbara Schultz of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles said StayHoused LA implements the city's recently passed right-to-counsel ordinance and is the only program currently tied to rental assistance the city can deliver. "We cannot do this work without the community-based organizations," Schultz said. "This partnership between the city, the legal services organizations and the CBOs is what makes StayHoused LA innovative and effective."

Speakers described individual consequences: Gregory Perez, who works with Burton Tech High School, said students and families are skipping graduation events and removing themselves from public life because of enforcement activity and fear. Others described tenants receiving relocation payments, obtaining case navigation, or being prevented from returning home without legal aid.

Advocates presented unified requests: at minimum, several speakers asked the council to extend the existing contract for one year and to fully fund CBO subcontracts and legal service partners; others called for a five-year extension to match prior commitments discussed earlier this year. Speakers also asked that Measure ULA funds dedicated to tenant services be used as intended and not reallocated.

Council members acknowledged the urgency and the legal-administrative constraints. Multiple speakers referenced the city attorney and the charter; Barbara Schultz noted that the council had authority to approve the contract in April and that staff needed sufficient time and funding to implement the program effectively whether via contract extension or an RFP process.

Context and next steps: Councilmember Raman and several community leaders said an item on the council's Friday agenda intends to secure ongoing funding and avoid a service interruption. Advocates urged the council to ensure the contract is executed before July 1 so organizations can continue open cases, pay staff and disburse rental assistance.

Votes at a glance (items recorded during the meeting)

- Items 12'17, 19'25, 27'35, 37'42, 45'47: Approved together (omnibus); result recorded as 13 ayes. (Agenda block voted as presented; individual item identifiers referenced by the Clerk.)

- Item 18: Voted separately after a recusal; result recorded as 12 ayes, 1 no (approved).

- Items 26, 44, 48: Voted without Councilmember Mike Price (recused); result recorded as 13 ayes (approved).

- Items 1'9, 51'57, 60: Approved together later in the meeting; result recorded as 14 ayes (approved).

- Item 50 (called special by Councilmember Sf3tto Martinez): result recorded as 12 ayes, 2 no (approved).

- Item 59 (called special for separate vote): after roll and reconsideration the final tally recorded as 11 ayes, 3 noes (approved).

- Item 10 (as amended): result recorded as 14 ayes (approved).

- Item 36 (as amended): result recorded as 14 ayes (approved).

- Item 58 (as amended): result recorded as 14 ayes (approved).

What the council did not do on Tuesday: The council did not record a signed, executed contract for StayHoused LA on the public record during this session. Multiple speakers and nonprofit leaders said that without contract execution or an interim funding mechanism they face furloughs, halted rental assistance and an immediate inability to open or conclude cases.

Why this matters: Advocates said the program is the primary mechanism to implement the newly passed right-to-counsel ordinance and to deliver rental assistance and eviction defense to low-income, immigrant and non-English-speaking tenants. A lapse, they warned, could interrupt rental assistance and push households into homelessness while staff are let go and active cases go unserved.

An outlook: Councilmember Raman said the council would take up a funding item on Friday intended to address the gap. Advocates plan to monitor the Friday item and continue outreach to the council and mayor's office to ensure funding continuity and full payment to community-based organizations and legal partners.

Ending note: Multiple tenants held up pleas grounded in immediate need: "Please sign it," Matthew Carson told the chamber. "It's necessary for each and every one of us to stay housed."