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Koretz, Buscaino Introduce City Council Motion To Prepare For Possible Withdrawal From LA Homeless Services Authority

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Two Los Angeles City Council members introduced a motion on Friday to have the city prepare for the possible withdrawal from a prominent homeless services group.

The council was reviewing the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority's governing structure before Councilman Paul Koretz and Councilman and mayoral candidate Joe Buscaino brought forth this proposal.

The decision was made following an assessment of how LAHSA runs its organization and if its goals have been met in terms of addressing L.A.'s homelessness crisis.

"The definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome ... in the case of LAHSA, if the information, resources and services the organization provides are going to continue to fall short of what we need to get Angelenos housed and back on their feet, then every option for reform -- including severing those ties -- should be on the table,'' Koretz said.

LAHSA is an organization with a $1 billion yearly budget that matches unhoused Angelenos with shelter, and also provides outreach regarding homelessness services.

Buscaino, the other councilman who spoke out on Friday, made criticisms about the organization lacking transparency.

"Without knowing critical information about who has been offered shelter, and who has turned it down, the city cannot enforce our anti-camping laws, and differentiate between those that want help, and those that do not,'' Buscaino said. "This results in the unmitigated proliferation of dangerous, inhumane encampments, subjecting innocent people experiencing homelessness to criminals that prey on them. This is not compassionate -- it's reckless.''

In a statement emailed to CBS Los Angeles Wednesday, LAHSA said, in part:

"The motion will be referred to the committee of homelessness and poverty for additional discussion. The status quo is unacceptable and we look forward to addressing the proactive changes that have been made and the recommendations on the way forward."

The agency also said that it had permanently housed more than 66,000 people experiencing homelessness in the last three years.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)

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