THE HOMELESS CRISIS

A measure that was previously approved to put a 10 percent tax on gross receipts of cannabis businesses in order to help pay for services to help the homeless crisis in Los Angeles has been pulled from the November ballot.

Homelessness is a huge issue in Los Angeles County. According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, over 44,000 individuals living within the county are homeless with over 31,000 of those people living unsheltered. Considering that a large chunk of these homeless individuals face mental illnesses, are physically disabled, have substance abuse issues and some are even children, it’s clear that a solution needs to happen, and it needs to happen fast.

“We know that homelessness is a problem that responds to resources. In the months ahead, the Supervisors will continue to debate revenue options to identify sustained funding to fully implement the homeless initiative.”

The County Homeless Initiative was approved and adopted in February by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl explained to CULTURE that this initiative was, “the largest, most coordinated effort ever undertaken in L.A. to attack the root causes of homelessness, and move thousands of individuals and families from the streets to dignity and stability. The County allocated $149 million for initial implementation of the plan, however, a sustainable revenue source has yet to be identified.”

While cannabis wasn’t the board’s first choice for an income source, after the county denied other possible sources of revenue, the board decided to introduce a tax on cannabis-related businesses for the November ballot. However, the tax did not receive support from all parties involved. Kuehl said, “The following week, I heard deep ambivalence about the ballot measure from homeless service providers who are the frontlines in the County’s effort to end homelessness. As a result, in the end of July I filed a motion to remove this ballot measure from the very crowded November ballot.”

Some of the service providers included substance abuse treatment providers, and these types of organizations were ultimately not comfortable with securing funding from a substance that they perceive as a drug. They had mixed feelings and felt it would be contradictory toward their cause. While a cannabis-related could have been used to help homelessness, Kuehl seems to understand why some organizations were not supportive. Kuehl shared, “Service providers are very appreciative of the leadership at the County and they are as eager as I am to identify a sustainable source of revenue to help house the men, women and children in L.A. who are homeless.”

There isn’t enough time to draft another measure to secure funding for the County Homeless Initiative in time for the November election. However, Supervisor Kuehl and her team continue to stay committed to helping the homeless population in L.A. She shared, “I am deeply committed to providing relief to the men, women and children experiencing homelessness in L.A. County. We know that homelessness is a problem that responds to resources. In the months ahead, the Supervisors will continue to debate revenue options to identify sustained funding to fully implement the homeless initiative.”

The county may pursue a different measure next year to help secure funding for this program that will change the lives of thousands of individuals.