Measure HHH is a vital step to jump-start housing projects for homeless individuals in Los Angeles.
As it stands, there are too few options to help the estimated 28,000 homeless people counted in the city earlier this year. In fact, there was an 11 percent increase in homelessness from 2015, demonstrating an all-too-apparent need for a sustainable yet rapid solution.
If approved, the $1.2-billion bond would raise Angelenos’ property taxes to finance the construction of affordable housing as well as supportive housing – the latter includes on-site services such as social workers and mental health professionals.
In the past, the board has argued that homelessness in Los Angeles constitutes a state of emergency that justifies using state emergency funds to address the issue. Measure HHH would not only create an alternative, long-term resource fund to address this growing crisis, but also generate these funds within the region that needs it most.
With its current budget, the city can only construct an estimated 3,000 affordable and supportive housing units over the next three years. With funds available through Measure HHH, it would have the resources to finance up to 10,000.
It’s true that the proposed housing would not be available for at least three years, meaning there is still a need for immediate, short-term solutions – most of which would require the state to declare a state of emergency to stem the problem at its already-critical levels. However, without Measure HHH, there is no hope that any efforts the state or county makes now will have lasting benefits. The measure is necessary to ensuring whatever investment taxpayers make now is permanent and not another band-aid solution.
Of course, $1.2 billion is a large sum to ask, and with interest, the full sum could cost property owners up to $2 billion. However, this is a small price to pay for Angelenos’ inaction thus far – allowing the crisis to worsen will only cost taxpayers more in the long run.
What’s more, there are safeguards within the measure’s language to prevent officials from abusing the bond. Money will only be disbursed after a developer and contractor have committed to approved projects. This means that officials will still have to work to locate, plan and earn community support for affordable and supportive housing projects before any sum is loaned.
All in all, Measure HHH not only represents a more housing-secure Los Angeles, but also proposes a fiscally responsible way to achieve it. As such, it deserves this board’s full endorsement.
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