Sacramento, CA - As the number of Californians experiencing homelessness continues to grow, Assemblymember Miguel Santiago will lead the Select Committee on Los Angeles County Homelessness for the 2019-2020 legislative year. Upon being named Chair, Santiago released the following statement:
“The rapid growth of California’s homeless population represents a humanitarian crisis that we must address,” Assemblymember Santiago said. “My district may be the second poorest in California – and home to Skid Row itself – but today there are families in every corner of this state who go to sleep at night without a roof over their head.
“We’ve done a lot of work over the years to alleviate the severity of this emergency, but to look into the faces of these men, women, and children is to know that our greatest challenges lie ahead of us,” Santiago added. “I am grateful to Speaker Rendon for creating this committee, and for putting me in charge of it. Future generations will judge us by our response to this humanitarian crisis, and I refuse to stand on the sidelines.”
The Select Committee on L.A. County Homelessness will convene at least once in Los Angeles and at least once in Sacramento, touching upon a wide variety of pressing issues that include, but are not limited to: the development of affordable housing, and the accessibility of supportive services in LA County.
Since his election to the California Assembly in 2015, Assemblymember Santiago has authored, passed, and supported measures to:
- Increase affordable housing stock
- Provide $200 million from California’s Homeless Emergency Assistance Program for Los Angeles County
- Increase funding for CalWORKs housing assistance benefit for homeless families by more than 30%
- Improve access to life-saving drugs
- Help the state take legal action against cities not meeting their housing goals
- Provide school supplies for homeless children
- Declare a State of Emergency on homelessness
- Connect homeless Californians with housing and supportive services
- Invest $2B to provide permanent supportive housing and wraparound services for Californians experiencing homelessness.
Details on any hearings or events related to the Select Committee on L.A. County Homelessness will be announced to the public, and posted on the Assemblymember’s website.
Assemblymember Miguel Santiago is the Chair of the Assembly’s Communications and Conveyance Committee, and a member of both the Assembly Public Safety Committee and the California Latino Legislative Caucus. He represents the 53rd District composed of the cities of Los Angeles, Huntington Park, and Vernon.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 26, 2019
CONTACT: Jonathan.Underland@asm.ca.gov, (213) 620-4646