Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Wednesday joined U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and local leaders to voice support for reintroducing a bill that would invest billions of federal dollars in housing programs and homeless people.
The Housing for All Act, which Padilla previously introduced in 2022 and 2023, would funnel money toward supportive housing programs for seniors and people with disabilities, the National Housing Trust Fund, the Housing Choice Voucher program and other efforts. The bill would also support local approaches to the homelessness crisis, including converting motel and hotel rooms into permanent supportive housing and mobile crisis intervention teams for people experiencing homelessness.
Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) introduced companion legislation in the House. The bill did not reach the president's desk on any of the occasions it was previously introduced.
“Housing is a basic human right, not a privilege,” Padilla said Wednesday. “I am reintroducing the Housing for All Act to finally treat the homelessness and affordable housing crises with the seriousness they deserve, and I will not stop this fight until every person has a place to call home.”
Padilla's legislation would authorize $14.5 billion for the Project-Based Rental Assistance program, which allows tenants to pay rent based on their income, and an additional $40 million to provide technical assistance to program beneficiaries or applicants.
It would also allocate $15 billion to spend over 10 years on Continuum of Care grants, which provide funding to nonprofit providers and state and local governments fighting homelessness.
Bass praised the bill's support of national efforts that she said are already making a difference in the fight against homelessness. “This bill would invest in federal programs that have a proven track record,” she said. “The thing is, we know how to solve this problem… This crisis is not going to be solved at one level of government.”
The bill funds programs that aim to address the lack of affordable housing, prevent evictions, and support those living on the streets. Although the bill failed to become law in previous years, Bass said she remains committed to its passage.
“We are going to continue advocating until it is on President Biden's desk for his signature,” he said.
