L.A. is housing more people than ever, but an even greater number keep falling into homelessness. This first-of-its-kind prevention program calculates who seems most at risk for landing on the street.
LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network. For the latest national news from NPR and our live radio broadcast, visitDulce Volantin and her partner, Valaria Zayas, pose for a portrait on their rooftop in Los Angeles. When asked what this program has meant for her and her partner, Volantin chokes up as she says, "The world, the world."In these challenging times, the need for reliable local reporting has never been greater.
With that goal, the pilot program is using artificial intelligence to predict who's most likely to land on the streets, so the county can step in to offer help before that happens. Instead, 16 case managers divide up the lists and reach out to the people on them, sending letters and cold calling.Elizabeth Juarez, case manager at the Homelessness Prevention unit, cold calls potential clients to enroll them in the program. She says when people's lives are unstable their numbers and addresses often change. When she does get through, she finds many people facing eviction or dealing with domestic violence.
"Straight to a bank account?" the man asks. No, Juarez explains, it goes to third-party vendors to cover bills like rent, utilities, groceries or other monthly expenses. She tells him the main reason is to avoid jeopardizing any public benefits that might be cut if someone's income increases.The man mentions he's renting from a relative and recently had a seizure. Yes, he says, he'd like to sign up.
Then the biggest challenge: Brown is desperate to find a two-bedroom place for the boys."They want to play," he says."They want open space and they can't get it."Theus says it will be difficult to find anywhere Brown can afford, so they'll have to try for a housing voucher to bring down his expenses. That, combined with boosting his income through food stamps and cash aid, are the best hope for making him self-sufficient.
Brown says he's been blessed with this program and calls Theus a"lifesaver." But at night, it doesn't keep his mind from racing with a thousand worries. Rountree expects to publish the study results in 2026, which is also when the program's funding runs out; most of its $31 million budget came from pandemic aid. She hopes there will be a strong case that it should be scaled up, and can be a model.
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