The Los Angeles region will receive $380 million from the state to combat street homelessness, part of an $827 million statewide grant announced by the Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, October 29 in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County will receive $97.4 million from the regional award while the city of Los Angeles will receive $164.3 million, according to Newsom and local leaders. The state awards report shows the city and county, along with their partners, will receive $105 million.

Other cities included in the “Los Angeles region” grant are Long Beach and its partners, $15 million; Pasadena and Partners, $799,522; Glendale and partners: $280,408.

A portion of the rewards associated with each city also goes to organizations providing services to the homeless. The grants aim to build more permanent housing, maintain transitional housing and move more people from encampments into housing, according to the state Department of Housing and Community Development.

“We need to address the conditions on the sidewalks. People are dying and suffering before our eyes. This is not who we are and who we should be,” Newsom said. He spoke on Skid Row near the Downtown Women’s Center, a group that works to help homeless women obtain shelter, comprehensive services and permanent housing.

The Center serves 5,000 people each year and has provided permanent housing for 1,000 women over the past five years, said Myong Kim, program manager. “Homelessness can be solved,” she said.

Results of Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count in 2024 found that the number of homeless people in the county was about the same as the previous year, at about 75,312. Of those, about 23,000 were women.

The number of homeless people living in tents, vehicles or makeshift shelters decreased by 5.1%, while those living in temporary accommodation increased by 12.7%. The City of Los Angeles experienced a 10.4% decline in unsheltered homelessness and a 17.7% increase in sheltered homelessness.

“Our latest homeless count showed the first reduction in the number of homeless people in years. And we helped 25 percent more people move from transitional housing to permanent housing,” said Va Lecia Adams Kellum, CEO of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).

As agencies touted successes, Newsom said he recognized the frustration of Angelenos who see homeless men, women and children living on sidewalks or under highways as they drive by with their children in tow . “While we see progress in many parts of the state, no one is naive to the challenges. No one denies how angry people are, how frustrated they are,” the governor said.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who shared the podium with Newsom, noted that the number of unsheltered homeless people in her city is declining in part thanks to the city’s Inside Safe program.

“I was just at an Inside Safe location in Pico/Union (neighborhood) and this morning we took over 30 Angelenos off the street,” Bass said.

Newsom emphasized a dual attack: dollars for housing and programs, as well as new levels of coordination and tracking of the dollars. These grants are part of the fifth round of the state’s Housing and Homeless Assistance Prevention Program (HHAP).

“HHAP funds for a Regional Action Plan for Los Angeles County are critical to accelerating and expanding housing, services and care for people experiencing homelessness, while also supporting safe and clean public spaces,” noted Lindsey Horvath, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Commissioners. supervisors in an emailed response.

Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn said the county’s Pathway Home program works hand-in-hand with Bass’ Inside Safe.

“For the first time in years, the number of homeless people is falling. We cannot give up and we must double and triple down on strategies that work like Inside Safe and Pathway Home,” Hahn said in an email response.

Grant recipients were required to provide a plan showing how they would coordinate with agencies, county and city governments. Grantees must report fiscal progress monthly on the California Housing and Community Development (HCD) website, via the HHAP Fiscal Dashboard. The results will also be uploaded to California’s Homeless Data Integration System on a quarterly basis, the state reported.

The grants requested by Anaheim and Orange County were held back by the state for further analysis to ensure they met state standards, Newsom said. “Their unique proposals require an additional level of review,” Newsom said, although he did not elaborate.

Newsom said programs should prioritize getting people off the streets and sleeping indoors, as part of what many call a pro-housing framework.

He insisted on moving people out of encampments and providing them with shelter and services. Earlier this year, Newsom released $1 billion from encampment resolution funds to combat homelessness and help local government combat homeless encampments.

Additionally, Newsom has begun imposing new housing starts on a city-by-city basis, as part of his strategy to prevent homelessness by increasing the stock of affordable housing. He mentioned enforcement actions taken in Norwalk and Huntington Beach.

The Norwalk City Council extended a 10-month moratorium — first approved in August — banning emergency shelters and supportive housing for another 10 months on Sept. 17, a day after the California Department of Housing and Community Development has issued a notice of violation against the city and Newsom called the city’s actions “immoral.”

THE The state sued the city of Huntington Beach, accusing the city of violating housing laws by failing to plan to build more units. A San Diego Superior Court judge stayed the trial on September 19.