Blog / The Business Perspective
Propositions 1 and 2 are solid steps to help address our housing crisis
September 27, 2018
by Maria S. Salinas
As we head toward election day on Nov. 6, we want to provide helpful information about the many propositions and measures you will find on your ballot. In last week’s Business Perspective, I argued that Prop 10, which would expand rent control, would have the unintended consequence of making our housing crisis worse. Luckily, there are two propositions on the November ballot that would be much more productive:
- Prop 1, a $4 billion general obligation bond for affordable and veterans housing
- Prop 2, which would designate $2 billion to construct housing and supportive services for the mentally-ill community.
Proposition 1 was placed on the ballot by large bi-partisan majorities in the legislature to infuse funds into existing programs with successful track-records. The California Multifamily Housing Program, Transit-Oriented Development Program, Local Housing Trust Fund Matching Grant Program and CalHome Program would receive the bulk of the bond dollars.
These programs, administered by the California Department of Housing & Community Development, serve to help finance the construction and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing, provide low-interest loans as mortgage assistance, and enable low-income households to become or remain homeowners. An additional $1 billion is earmarked specifically for the CalVet Home Loan Program to help place those who have served on the path to homeownership.
The No Place Like Home Act, Proposition 2, would shift $2 billion from the Mental Health Services Act, approved by voters in 2004, to pay for bonds that would fund the construction and rehabilitation of supportive housing for homeless individuals with mental illness. This model follows the proven housing-first approach, which is shown to substantially reduce the use of emergency rooms and jails. These funds would complement the Measure H and Proposition HHH programs already underway in L.A. County and City.
The 2018 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count showed nearly 53,000 individuals are experiencing homelessness, of which 3,686 are veterans. While much work is still necessary, these numbers have actually gone down since the last count, as new County and City resources have been deployed to place people into housing.
Propositions 1 and 2 continue the targeted approach of investing in strategies that create supportive housing opportunities for those on the streets, while also financing programs to keep people from falling into homelessness. There is no magic wand we can wave, no one solution waiting to be discovered that will solve the supply and affordability crisis in this state. But these propositions are an important start.
I urge your support for Propositions 1 and 2.
See the rest of the Chamber’s ballot recommendations HERE.
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