By Evaristo Lara
People who wander the streets of Los Angeles, California, without a roof over their heads or who often go to shelters for shelter, could find themselves in trouble. in case a proposal presented by the White House comes to fruition aimed at reducing $393 million dollars in federal funds allocated to programs to help said population sector.
The goal is to cut federal assistance for homeless people and eliminate the Continuum of Care program, funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
From the perspective of the Trump administration, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) has fallen short of the objective of providing housing to the most unprotected sector of the population.
“LAHSA has a dismal record in reducing the largest number of homeless people on the streets in the United States, and an independent audit published in March 2025 found that the authority did not accurately track billions of federal and local dollars,” says a part of the document presented with the budget cut proposal.
In fact, later it emphasizes alleged fraud linked to those who serve as providers of assistance services for homeless people.
“Nonprofit organizations that serve homeless people should focus on the poorest and most vulnerable people. However, investigations across the country have revealed fraud and corruption within the staunch network of homeless service providers,” the text underlines.
In contrast to the federal government’s perspective, The results of LAHSA’s 2025 Homeless Count, which was designed by the University of Southern California, revealed that, In Los Angeles County, the homeless population dropped 4%for a total of 72,308; while in the city of Los Angeles a decrease of 3.4% was also detected of homeless citizens, totaling 43,699.
On the other hand, in August of last year, Gavin Newsom, governor of California, announced the creation of a task force whose mission was to dismantle homeless encampments in the largest cities of the “Golden State”, with the aim of offering them shelter and more adequate health services than living on the streets.
“California has implemented a strong, comprehensive strategy to combat the national homelessness and housing crisis, and as a result, is outpacing the nation in solving this problem,” he noted.
Despite the combined efforts, the issue of homelessness continues to prevail due to the high cost of living.
Keep reading:
• Los Angeles homelessness declines for second year in a row
• Homeless advocates criticize Supreme Court decision to uphold street sleeping ban
• Gavin Newsom creates group to dismantle homeless encampments in California
