Credit: KPCC File Photos
Bellflower, CA— On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, led by Chair Janice Hahn, committed $1.5 million to fund a new 50-bed shelter in the City of Bellflower. Of the $1.5 million, $700,000 comes from Supervisor Hahn’s Fourth District Provisional Financing funds. The additional funding will be provided by the LA County Department of Health Services.
“The leaders of the City of Bellflower are stepping up and have a plan to shelter their fair share of the homeless population,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “I have always said – if you are a city leader and you identify a site for a shelter or supportive housing in your city, my colleagues and I are more than willing to put County resources behind it to make it happen.”
“Opening a shelter in Bellflower is the right thing to do and it is the compassionate thing to do,” said Bellflower Mayor Sonny Santa Ines, who testified in support of the funding motion at the board meeting. “This is a win-win solution that will allow us to shelter 50 of Bellflower’s homeless population so we can get these individuals off the streets and provide connect them with services that they need.”
In September, the City of Bellflower signed a settlement agreement with U.S. District Court Judge David Carter to become one of the first cities in the Los Angeles Gateway area to commit to siting a shelter where wraparound services will be provided for homeless individuals.