Communication from Public Name: The People Concern Date Submitted: 09/02/2020 08:13 AM Council File No: 20-0687 Comments for Public Posting: We are in strong support of Item 1 with one amendment. We applaud the $97M for Rapid Rehousing and Shared Housing for 3,000 Angelenos who have come inside during COVID-19, but the City must also fund housing for the roughly 2,000 Angelenos on the Project Roomkey queue that have said yes to housing and are ready and waiting on the streets for the housing that they were promised. To house our neighbors on this queue, we need an additional $64.7M in funding to be committed, making the final recommended amount of $161.9M in CARES Act dollars. We must ensure that no one brought inside during the pandemic ends up back outside and that those on the Project RoomKey queue, who are ready to come inside today, are provided a pathway to housing and protection from the potentially lethal impact of COVID-19. Communication from Public Name: William R Wright Date Submitted: 09/01/2020 12:52 PM Council File No: 20-0687 Comments for Public Posting: Thank you all for your leadership addressing our urgent housing crisis. I am in strong support of Item 1 -- however, we need more money committed to ensure that we are adequately responding to the depth of the challenge before us. We applaud the $97M for Rapid Rehousing and Shared Housing for 3,000 Angelenos who have come inside during COVID-19, but the City must also fund housing for the roughly 2,000 Angelenos on the Project Roomkey queue that have said yes to housing and are ready and waiting on the streets for the housing that they were promised. To house our neighbors on this queue, we need an addition $64.7M in funding to be committed, making the final recommended amount $161.9M in CARES Act dollars. We must ensure that no one brought inside during the pandemic ends up back outside and that those on the Project RoomKey queue, who are ready to come inside today, are provided a pathway to housing and protection from the potentially lethal impact of COVID-19. Communication from Public Name: David Howden Date Submitted: 09/02/2020 10:58 AM Council File No: 20-0687 Comments for Public Posting: Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing solutions that use housing as a platform for services to improve the lives of the most vulnerable people, maximizing public resources and building healthy communities. CSH is in strong support of Item 1 with one amendment. We applaud the $97M for Rapid Rehousing and Shared Housing for 3,000 Angelenos who have come inside during COVID-19, but the City must also fund housing for the roughly 2,000 Angelenos on the Project Roomkey queue that have said yes to housing and are ready and waiting on the streets for the housing that they were promised. To house our neighbors on this queue, we need an addition $64.7M in funding to be committed, making the final recommended amount $161.9M in CARES Act dollars. We must ensure that no one brought inside during the pandemic ends up back outside and that those on the Project RoomKey queue, who are ready to come inside today, are provided a pathway to housing and protection from the potentially lethal impact of COVID-19. We appreciate the continued partnership with the City of Los Angeles working to end homelessness for all Angelenos. Communication from Public Name: Brady Collins Date Submitted: 09/02/2020 11:38 AM Council File No: 20-0687 Comments for Public Posting: My name is Brady Collins and I am with the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance. I am in support of Item 1, with changes. We applaud the $97 million for Rapid Rehousing and Shared Housing for 3,000 Angelenos who have come inside during COVID-19, but to house our neighbors on the Project Roomkey queue, we need an additional $64.7M in funding to be committed, making the final recommended amount $161.9M in CARES Act dollars for our unhoused neighbors. We must ensure that no one brought inside during the pandemic ends up back outside and that those on the Project RoomKey queue, who are ready to come inside today, are provided a pathway to housing and protection from the potentially lethal impact of COVID-19. But it must go further. We need investment in acquiring at-risk affordable housing and stopping foreclosures in order to stem the tide of homelessness. We are asking the Committee to take the next steps on your actions during your June 17th meeting to fund a neighborhood investment strategy. As stated in Healthy LA’s detailed housing plan, with a $130M neighborhood investment of CARES Act funding -- $84M of CRF and $46M of Supplemental CDBG -- the City can assist over 6,500 lower income homeowners through counseling and mortgage relief; 75,000 additional tenants with eviction defense services in 2021; and can acquire 160 homes and 10 distressed commercial sites to counter displacement, creating long-term community and family assets, and building local capacity to preserve the naturally-occurring housing stock that is most at-risk of being bought up by speculators. Communication from Public Name: Va Lecia Adams Kellum Date Submitted: 09/02/2020 12:58 PM Council File No: 20-0687 Comments for Public Posting: I am Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum, the President & CEO of St. Joseph Center. We strongly support Item #1, with an amendment. St. Joseph Center operates multiple Project RoomKey sites, and we see every day the immediate safety these spaces provide as well as the foundation for long-term stability that they are helping to create for people impacted by homelessness. This firsthand experience informs our support of Item #1, with amendment. The $97 million in funding for Rapid Rehousing/Shared Housing for 3,000 Angelenos who have come inside during COVID-19 is laudable. Additionally, it is imperative that the City fund housing for the roughly 2,000 Angelenos waiting in the Project RoomKey queue who have said yes to housing but remain on the street, still waiting for the housing they have been promised. To help people maintain hope whose experience with the system has often been characterized primarily by disappointment, it is crucial that we keep this promise. To do so, we need an additional $64.7M in funding committed to house our vulnerable neighbors who remain outside, for a final recommended amount of $161.9 million in CARES Act dollars. We must ensure that no one brought inside during the pandemic ends up back outside and that those on the Project RoomKey queue, who are ready to come inside today, are provided a pathway to housing and protection from the potentially lethal impact of COVID-19. Communication from Public Name: MIchelle Wong/ Beverly Vermont Community Land Trust Date Submitted: 09/02/2020 01:41 PM Council File No: 20-0687 Comments for Public Posting: I represent Beverly Vermont Community Land Trust. I support using CARES Act funds to invest in a just recovery for street vendors, create permanent housing for the people in LA who need it the most, and investing in long-term, sustainable affordable housing options. I am in support of Item 1, with changes. We applaud the $97 million for Rapid Rehousing and Shared Housing for 3,000 Angelenos who have come inside during COVID-19, but to house our neighbors on the Project Roomkey queue, we need an additional $64.7M in funding to be committed, making the final recommended amount $161.9M in CARES Act dollars for our unhoused neighbors. We must ensure that no one brought inside during the pandemic ends up back outside and that those on the Project RoomKey queue, who are ready to come inside today, are provided a pathway to housing and protection from the potentially lethal impact of COVID-19. But it must go further. We need investment in acquiring at-risk affordable housing and stopping foreclosures in order to stem the tide of homelessness. We are asking the Committee to take the next steps on your actions during your June 17th meeting to fund a neighborhood investment strategy. As stated in Healthy LA’s detailed housing plan, with a $130M neighborhood investment of CARES Act funding -- $84M of CRF and $46M of Supplemental CDBG -- the City can assist over 6,500 lower income homeowners through counseling and mortgage relief; 75,000 additional tenants with eviction defense services in 2021; and can acquire 160 homes and 10 distressed commercial sites to counter displacement, creating long-term community and family assets, and building local capacity to preserve the naturally-occurring housing stock that is most at-risk of being bought up by speculators. I am also in support of investing in street vendors and the infrastructure they need for a just recovery. Street Vendors are among the most severely impacted small businesses in the City of Los Angeles. For many street vendors who are undocumented, they have found themselves unable to receive any form of cash assistance, and immigration consequences if they decide to work. Without serious investment from the City, thousands of food street vendors will find themselves unable to access legal carts, accruing debt from fines on top of debt from rent, and at risk of criminalization and eviction. Investing this CARES money for the development of an affordable, pandemic compliant cart, can support a just recovery affordable, pandemic compliant cart, can support a just recovery for thousands of vulnerable street vending entrepreneurs and the communities that rely on their services.