April 25, 2020 - Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has sent a letter to Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson in support of Los Angeles County’s request that HUD allocate homelessness funding that was included in the recently passed CARES Act based on need. The formula proposed by Los Angeles County is available here.

            “California has the largest homeless population of any state in the country — with more than 150,000 individuals experiencing homelessness on any given night, 108,000 of whom are living unsheltered on the street or in vehicles.  People experiencing unsheltered homelessness are at the greatest risk of contracting COVID-19, as they are unable to practice social distancing, lack access to basic hygiene supplies, and often having underlying health conditions

            “The formula proposed by Los Angeles County in their letter, which I have attached for your convenience, would ensure that funding is distributed based on the level of homelessness, while still taking additional factors such as risk of coronavirus transmission and regional economic conditions into account,” wrote Senator Feinstein.

            Full text of the letter is available here and below.

The Honorable Ben Carson
Secretary
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20410

Dear Secretary Carson,

            I write today in support of Los Angeles County’s proposed formula for allocating Emergency Solutions Grant funding provided through the CARES Act.  I ask that you seriously consider this request and work to ensure a fair and equitable distribution as you work to allocate the remaining funds.

            California has the largest homeless population of any state in the country — with more than 150,000 individuals experiencing homelessness on any given night, 108,000 of whom are living unsheltered on the street or in vehicles.  People experiencing unsheltered homelessness are at the greatest risk of contracting COVID-19, as they are unable to practice social distancing, lack access to basic hygiene supplies, and often having underlying health conditions. 

            The formula proposed by Los Angeles County in their letter, which I have attached for your convenience, would ensure that funding is distributed based on the level of homelessness, while still taking additional factors such as risk of coronavirus transmission and regional economic conditions into account. During this public health crisis, it is imperative that we support state and local governments as they work to get people into emergency housing and prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

            Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator 
Source: Senator Dianne Feinstein