Following a recent count that found more than 90,000 people living on the streets, Los Angeles County political leaders have decided to step up efforts to put an end to homelessness.
Last week, the Board of Supervisors set aside $24.6 million to attack the stubborn problem, the largest single investment of local funds ever by the county or the city.
The allocation is a small piece of the county's $19.6-billion budget, but it represents a shift in thinking about an issue that has long failed to engage the attention of most elected officials.
Struck by the numbers, officials want to move services away from managing the problem and toward ending it.
Proposals include remaking the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, the 11-year-old city-county agency that administers homeless funds, to be more directly involved in policymaking and more accountable to county and city governments.
The agency has an annual budget of about $48 million. Most of that comes from the federal government, with the city and county of Los Angeles contributing about $8.4 million.
The county has also commissioned Shelter Partnership, a nonprofit research and resource group, to study the emergency shelter system and how it might be improved, using programs that have worked in other cities. One of the thorniest issues being studied is neighborhood resistance, which has hampered efforts to add facilities for the homeless.
Despite obstacles, officials who deal with the homeless say they believe that, with this allocation, the county may have turned a corner.
And the city of Los Angeles may soon follow suit. Mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa was appalled by the large street count, especially the 7,500 families found to be homeless, and is ready to create a partnership with the county that will be "unprecedented," said spokesman Joe Ramallo.
The census also found that more than 35,000 people have lived on the streets for more than a year. This population, considered chronically homeless, usually requires more resources.
"I viewed the county's allocation as a historic turning point," said Mitchell Netburn, executive director of the homeless services authority, who in the past has criticized local leaders for apathy and lack of commitment.
"When the city committed $4 million a few years ago to year-round shelter, that was a big step up, but this really took it to the next quantum level," Netburn said. "It's heartening to see the county really finally beginning to put together resources to address this huge tragedy we have."
