{"id":51967,"date":"2022-08-31T23:31:14","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T06:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=51967"},"modified":"2022-08-31T23:31:54","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T06:31:54","slug":"our-future-la-hails-passage-of-sb679-by-ca-senate-urges-newsom-to-sign-for-affordable-housing-in-la-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=51967","title":{"rendered":"Our Future LA hails passage of SB679 by CA Senate, urges Newsom to sign for affordable housing in LA County"},"content":{"rendered":"

Senate Bill 679, authored by Senator Sydney Kamlager and supported by nearly 100 organizations including local cities, community organizations, and housing experts, would create a first-ever Independent countywide housing and homelessness prevention agency that unites 88 cities to create affordable housing, prevent homelessness and support thousands of working families burdened by the recent spike in rent costs<\/p>\n

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Los Angeles, CA (August 31, 2022)<\/strong> – Members of the Our Future Los Angeles (OFLA<\/a>) coalition hailed the passage by a 21-13 vote in California\u2019s State Senate of Senate Bill 679, which would establish the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA). The measure, which passed the State Assembly on a 41-14 vote,\u00a0 now heads to the desk of Governor Gavin Newsom for final approval.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0If signed, it would establish LACAHSA, an independent countywide housing solutions agency with the ability to raise its own public and private revenue to fund systemic solutions to Los Angeles\u2019s current affordable housing crisis.<\/p>\n

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\u201cA powerful, coordinated response to our housing crisis is within reach, bringing real resources and support to L.A. County residents who don\u2019t know how they will stay in their homes,\u201d said Elise Buik, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Los Angeles. \u201cBy signing SB679, Governor Newsom can achieve his housing goals by making the construction of badly needed affordable housing options in Los Angeles County faster and less expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Under the current system, 88 cities across the county are left to deal with affordability problems on their own, creating a patchwork of housing affordability solutions and in many cases, none at all. LACAHSA would coordinate a countywide strategy for all 88 cities to join forces to address homelessness in an innovative way.<\/p>\n

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“The current housing system in place hasn’t done enough to support working families across this region. It hasn’t worked to create housing for low income people, end homelessness, or increase homeownership, said Tania Medina, a Baldwin Park resident and member of LA Voice, a multi-racial, multi-faith community organization. \u201cWith LACAHSA we know that we can do so much more.”<\/p>\n

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Zeke Sandoval, Public Policy Manager at People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) said PATH is a supporter of SB 679 because it creates a powerful new tool to produce affordable housing at the necessary scale. \u201cHomes end homelessness. The affordable homes LACAHSA will build will be a refuge for county residents journeying out of homelessness, and for the millions of housed county residents on the brink of losing their homes,\u201d Sandoval said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPeople are struggling to stay in their homes, so where are the alternative housing solutions?\u201d said Derek Steele, Executive Director of the Social Justice Learning Institute. \u201cNo one resident, community organization, city or municipality on their own has the single solution to turn around generations of neglect to our affordable housing supply. It\u2019s going to take all of us to develop the solutions so people can not only survive this crisis but thrive on the other side of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A recent analysis of housing burden in L.A. County by the Gender Equity Policy Institute found these striking statistics, underscoring the need for more to be done to support low income people across L.A. County:<\/p>\n