The Brief

The L.A. region’s homeless services agency has been crafting a message for family services providers on how to deliver bad news to families experiencing homelessness: Due to funding cuts, they’re out of housing.

Programs to help families move into permanent housing also have been cut.

In a draft memo from July obtained by LAist, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority has been working with providers on language to share with families seeking assistance: Shelters are full. They're out of housing.

“Due to current funding limitations in LA County’s Family Coordinated Entry System, we are unable to enroll new families in Interim housing (shelter or motel vouchers), housing navigation, or rental subsidy programs,” a proposed message reads. “We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide updates as they become available.”

LAHSA confirmed it’s working on such a memo and that decreases in state funding have limited options for families experiencing homelessness.

“While the family interim housing system operates at capacity, LAHSA is dedicated to ensuring every available resource is used to help families experiencing homelessness,” a LAHSA spokesperson said in a statement. “To aid that effort, we are working with both the City and the County to draft a memo that supports providers as they guide families requesting assistance to other programs that can help them attain the assistance they require.”

Those programs include DPSS, 211, and faith-based organizations, LAHSA said. The organization said it couldn't comment further on the language of draft memos, as "they are always subject to change.

The move comes as the number of people in unsheltered families with children has been on the rise, according to official estimates.

Service providers are contracted out by LAHSA to run "Family Solutions Centers" and to help families, among other services, in a two-step process:

• First, move unsheltered families into temporary shelter, known as “interim housing” (short term, like motels).
• Second, move those families from temporary shelter into permanent living situations. 

Now, providers are in the position of telling new families they can’t help with either step because they’re full.

As of Aug. 8, the county had nearly 17,500 households in interim housing sites, though it’s unclear how many of those were families with children. Earlier this year, there were 2,661 families with children in shelters, according to the point-in-time count.

Family housing: A money and space problem

LAHSA’s budget for the fiscal year that started in July was $836 million, compared to $875 million the year before. The agency recently notified staff of potential layoffs, but the vast majority of its budget gets contracted out to homeless services providers throughout the region.

The recent cuts include a 71% reduction in state funds that have been a key source of funding, specifically for families experiencing homelessness. State funding overall for the agency declined from $145.4 million last year to $88.3 million as money that was available throughout the pandemic has sunsetted. Funding from the city, county and federal government all have also been reduced, as governments have faced financial headwinds.

“The reduction of state funding sources like HHAP and CalWORKS HSP has led to a decrease in available assistance through programs like time limited subsidies (TLS) for families experiencing homelessness,” LAHSA said in a statement.

But even with funding, providers have had to contend with specific challenges in serving families. Motels also have occupancy limits, which makes it harder for larger families to stay together. There’s also a lack of affordable housing for families, who need larger units.  

“The infrastructure that we have been creating to combat homelessness is really geared and designed toward helping … single individuals or couples but not for families with children,” said Constanza Pachon, CEO of The Whole Child, which provides services in Southeast L.A. County.

‘We’re starting to feel the crisis in our lobbies’ 

Pachon and other homelessness service providers LAist spoke to said financial challenges are converging onto the system simultaneously, even as voters passed a new sales tax last year to raise revenue for homelessness and affordable housing.

"We're starting to feel the crisis in our lobbies. We're starting to see families coming for resources that we used to have,” said Stephanie Klasky-Gamer, president and CEO of LA Family Housing.

Without funding for more motel vouchers and temporary shelters being full, she said their agency has had to refer families to safe parking sites instead. There are 16 sites countywide through LAHSA’s Safe Parking program.

Earlier this year, providers were also told to pause enrolling new families for a temporary rental subsidy program, called time-limited subsidies, which helps families move out of shelters. The program is trying to ramp down from 7,500 slots to 2,500 slots by next year.

Klasky-Gamer said LA Family Housing currently supports 360 families with that rental assistance, but next year, it will only be able to serve 54 families.

“ It's a really scary time because … without those subsidies, we don't know if all of our families will be able to stay in their housing,” she said.  ”I fear we will see more people experiencing street homelessness in the coming years with the loss of these resources.”

Without the ability to move people into permanent housing, she said people will stay in shelters longer.

“It's really created a perfect storm of challenges for folks who are doing this work,” said Ryan Smith, CEO of the St. Joseph Center, a homelessness service provider in West L.A.

Smith explained that while the passage of Measure A last fall is set to bring in more revenue than its predecessor, Measure H, the money is being allocated to more than just homeless services — like affordable housing development. At the same time, there’s been a loss in other funding streams. He said there have been "tectonic shifts” in the funding landscape — and that doesn’t even consider further loss in funding from anticipated federal funding cuts.

Pachon, with The Whole Child, said her agency had a growing waitlist for families who need housing. She said the agency still provides counseling and referrals but has had to develop its own messaging in the meantime about the unavailability of housing resources.

 ”Unfortunately, we have to tell them that we are at capacity and we cannot take them in,” she said. “It's heartbreaking, but it's unfortunately what we have to do.”

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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J.W. Hendricks

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The LA Local

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.