Los Angeles County to receive 30 travel trailers, as well as medical services tents, to assist individuals experiencing homelessness
Los Angeles County is the second local partner, following Oakland last week, to receive these resources as part of the Governor’s executive order accelerating state action on homelessness
SACRAMENTO – Continuing the state’s accelerated response to the homelessness crisis, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that Los Angeles County will be the second partner to receive travel trailers and medical services tents as part of the his executive order on homelessness. A total of 30 travel trailers, as well as medical services tents, will be sent to Los Angeles County by February 7, 2020.
“We continue to deploy state resources to cities and counties across the state who are stepping up to tackle the homelessness crisis,” said Governor Newsom. “In Los Angeles County, we will work with local leaders to stand up travel trailers and medical services tents to house families. This is one of the many tools in the toolbox we are using to address the crisis head-on.”
The deployment of travel trailers to Los Angeles County is the next installment of the governor’s executive order implementation. Last week, the Governor announced that Oakland would be the first city to partner with the state to receive 15 travel trailers, which will be installed on city-owned land in the coming weeks. Los Angeles County will receive their trailers by February 7, 2020. The state and county are currently reviewing a handful of sites for the travel trailers but no decision has been made yet. The travel trailers will house families affected by homelessness.
“Governor Newsom has proven yet again his leadership and his commitment to addressing the humanitarian crisis on our streets,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, co-chair of the Governor’s Council of Regional Homeless Advisors. “By deploying 30 of the state’s travel trailers to serve as interim housing in Los Angeles County, he is demonstrating the ingenuity, resourcefulness and urgency needed to tackle this undeniable emergency. Yesterday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors rose to the Governor’s challenge and moved to mount a Comprehensive Crisis Response to homelessness. This includes identifying vacant land and experienced service providers so that the people who receive the state’s trailers can find a safe haven. A deep sense of urgency is driving our work – we are ready to go!”
Governor Newsom traveled the state last week meeting with individuals experiencing homelessness, service providers and local officials on the front lines of the crisis. The Governor visited Oakland, Grass Valley, Riverside, Los Angeles and Fresno as part of the tour, during which he highlighted the first in a series of state-local partnerships to deploy travel trailers and medical services tents to assist individuals experiencing homelessness and met with staff and residents at shelters, a board and care home, and a crisis stabilization center. The Governor also announced the launch of a new webpage developed by California Volunteers that lists volunteer opportunities with organizations that help people off the streets and into housing and services.
The Governor began the year by signing an executive order as part of a comprehensive state response to homelessness, including the creation of the California Access to Housing and Services Fund, expediting the availability of state land assets, and standing up a state crisis response team. The Governor’s action focuses on prevention and early intervention, moving people off the streets and providing them services, and creating new temporary housing to effectively reduce street homelessness.
In his State Budget proposal, Governor Newsom formally announced more than $1 billion in homeless response funding, including $750 million for this new Access to Housing and Services Fund, and a major new investment to reform Medi-Cal so that health providers transform health care to deliver integrated physical and behavioral health.
Last year, the Governor signed 13 bills into law to help confront the homelessness crisis and others to fuel new housing development. In September, the Governor called on the Trump administration to increase federal investments in housing options for people experiencing homelessness and requested 50,000 additional Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) and Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers. In July, Governor Newsom announced regional leaders and statewide experts who will advise his Administration on solutions to address the state’s homelessness epidemic.
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