Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Alliance Settlement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee hears update on Alliance settlement progress and gaps in units credited toward deadline
Summary
City staff told the Homelessness Committee that thousands of housing units are open or in progress under the Alliance settlement but that crediting and funding challenges — including county reimbursement and project schedules — leave the city short of the settlement goal for the deadline.
The Los Angeles City Homelessness Committee on March 1 received a progress report on the city’s obligations under the Alliance settlement and was told that while many housing units are open or under construction, the city still lacks enough credited units to meet the settlement deadline.
Senior Kipsin, joined by Meghan Falcón from the office identified in the report as “STAO,” said the city is tracking units required by the settlement and that some projects cannot be counted because of timing and contractual limits. “We have 214 open and 2,078 in progress for a total of 9,093 housing units that meet these benchmarks,” Kipsin said, as read in the committee’s presentation. He added the city still needs about 3,822 additional units to reach the deadline as currently reported.
The presentation explained two recurring barriers to counting units toward the settlement totals: projects whose completion schedules fall after the settlement deadline and programs or beds that do not meet the settlement’s definitions for credit. Kipsin said the city has worked with departments and external partners to identify candidate sites and posted a web portal where property owners can offer sites; staff also said the Affordable Housing Linkage/“unit assessment” team in the mayor’s office does initial screenings.
Committee members pressed staff on who leads site identification and what resources are available to accelerate projects. Staff said the city’s Affordable Housing linkage unit conducts initial evaluations and coordinates with departments including General Services when owners submit offers, but staff did not provide a complete list of current offers or a precise count of proposals received when asked.
Members also discussed county reimbursement and accounting questions. Staff said the county has questioned some reimbursements and that reconciliation has taken time; staff estimated the city has collected roughly $1.7 billion to date but described the process of validating county receipts as time-consuming and contested.
Committee members raised concerns about projects in the pipeline that show completion dates beyond the settlement deadline, meaning those units could not be counted. Staff said they are monitoring schedules and financing commitments and that acceleration often depends on early financing commitments and interdepartmental coordination. Staff also noted constraints tied to federal and state funding sources and to the Section 8/regional housing authorities, which can affect the city’s ability to produce units that meet the settlement definition.
After questions, the committee voted to note and file the report. Councilmember Raman, Councilmember Jurado and Councilmember Bloomenfield voted in favor; two members were recorded as absent.
