Gov. Newsom is joining local officials in creating a new round of homeless funding

Gov. Gavin Newsom came to Skid Row on Tuesday to announce new federal funding that will bring $380 million to Los Angeles County for homeless housing, shelter, rental assistance, outreach and prevention.

The fifth phase of the Homeless Assistance and Prevention program will distribute $827 million statewide and come with stronger accountability and transparency mechanisms than ever before, Newsom said.

The city of Los Angeles will receive $160 million and the county will receive $94 million. The remainder will go to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and separate homeless services centers in Glendale, Long Beach and Pasadena.

Newsom said a key element of the new accountability is the requirement that cities and counties present their plans as a county under a contract that establishes “expectations of roles and responsibilities” for all agencies.

He was joined by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, county commissioners Hilda Solis and Kathryn Barger, and Va. Lecia Adams Kellum, CEO of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

Bass said he, the administration and the homeless authority have moved beyond the bickering and finger-pointing that have hampered the district's past efforts to work together.

“This is an example of the work we have been doing for the past few years that includes all levels of government,” he said.

Newsom said the grant program, which generated $2.4 billion in its first four rounds, was established in the last year of Gov. Jerry Brown, where approximately $500 million was spent “with no accountability, no expectations.”

“Since then we've significantly increased investment but also increased accountability, transparency and expectations,” Newsom said.

Although he did not elaborate, Newsom said that more accountability would be “through a framework of expectations and reporting that will no longer be quarterly or twice a year but monthly.”

The announcement drew muted criticism from Republican State Sen. Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks). He praised Los Angeles officials for making progress in getting people off the streets and Newsom for promising accountability.

But, in light of a recent report by the State Auditor's Office that concluded the state failed to adequately monitor the effects of large spending on homeless programs, Niello remains skeptical.

“He used the word accountability and responsibility so many times that if I had a nickel for every time he used it, I'd have enough to pay for my lunch,” Niello said. “If past is precedent, those are just words.”

Spending on the homeless should ultimately be directed toward enabling people to become self-sufficient, Niello said.

“Tell us how much you spend and tell us what the real results are in terms of self-sufficiency.”