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MAYOR JIM HAHN ON HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS

Mayor Hahn has been recognized by Habitat for Humanity for his work with neighborhoods, developers, and city departments to create and preserve housing that Los Angeles families want, deserve, and can afford. He believes that new, quality housing can revitalize neighborhoods and is key to attracting jobs.

To help finance new housing, Mayor Hahn created a $100 million Housing Trust Fund. Under his leadership, Los Angeles went from having one of the worst records on housing to becoming home to the nation’s largest local housing trust fund. In the last three years, over 26,000 permits for new housing have been issued and Los Angeles has doubled the pace of housing development.

In 2003, Los Angeles chapter of Habitat for Humanity, which awarded him with their LA Building Hope Award. He also received the Inspiration Award from Beyond Shelter for his commitment to ending homelessness and poverty.

Below are highlights of Mayor Hahn’s record on housing and homelessness.


HOUSING

SmallStar2.jpgCreated a $100 million Housing Trust Fund -- the largest in the nation – to help finance new affordable housing. The Fund has invested over $80 million to finance over 2,700 new housing units. It has also helped the city win an additional $374 million in county, state and federal funds.
SmallStar2.jpgExpanded the adaptive reuse ordinance, which is helping to adapt vacant buildings into thousands of quality housing units. Examples of adaptive reuse projects include the Historic Gas Company Lofts project in Downtown and the Wilshire at Western project at the site of the former Getty Oil Headquarters.
SmallStar2.jpgStepped-up efforts to crackdown on slumlords by tripling the number of inspections conducted by the Systematic Code Enforcement Program, which proactively inspects rental housing in Los Angeles rather than only providing inspections upon request of the tenant. As City Attorney, Jim Hahn pioneered the concept of slumlords being sentenced to live under electronically monitored house arrest in their own slum buildings.
SmallStar2.jpgCreated the Maximizing Our Real Estate (MORE) program, which is helping the city to identify its unused properties that could be used for housing.
SmallStar2.jpgProviding financial and technical assistance to help working families buy homes through a partnership with Countrywide Home Loans, Fannie Mae, and the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust “HIT HOME.”
SmallStar2.jpgHelping low- and moderate-income first-time homebuyers through a partnership with the California Housing Finance Agency and the Southern California Home Financing Authority.
SmallStar2.jpgStrongly supports the Marlton Square project in South Los Angeles’ Crenshaw District, which will bring single-family homes, affordable housing for seniors, a retail center and a community public facility to this community. Marlton Square is the largest redevelopment project in South Los Angeles in the city’s history.
SmallStar2.jpgEncouraging development along public transit lines, including assisting with permitting and financing for housing and retail developments at the MTA stations at Wilshire and Vermont, Wilshire and Western, and North Hollywood. Mayor Hahn also supports the Density Bonus Ordinance, which gives developers incentives to build housing near transit corridors.
SmallStar2.jpgStreamlined the development process to encourage investment in Los Angeles neighborhoods and created a Development Services Committee to improve and better coordinate city services to the development community.
SmallStar2.jpgCreated a one-hour, money-back guarantee for Department of Building and Safety Express Permits. If permits are not reviewed and qualified applicants are not given their permit within one hour of their request, the permit is free of charge.
SmallStar2.jpgSuccessfully fought to prevent the eviction of low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities who participate in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 8 housing program.
SmallStar2.jpgSupported efforts to protect seniors and other homeowners from predatory lenders who attempt to mislead them into accepting loans that can be financially damaging. Mayor Hahn’s efforts build upon his work as City Attorney to crackdown against home equity fraud, credit repair fraud loan swindles, eviction aid, job-placement services, employment scams, and other schemes that hurt consumers.
SmallStar2.jpgProposed providing more than $2.2 million to pay for almost 40,000 hours of additional Los Angeles Police Department officer time devoted to serving Los Angeles Housing Authority projects, such as Nickerson Gardens in the Watts neighborhood. Mayor Hahn brought together the Housing Authority and the LAPD to vigorously enforce the Housing Authority’s existing Zero Tolerance Policy.
SmallStar2.jpgWorked with Los Angeles’ Housing Authority to provide almost $500,000 for housing assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS, despite federal cuts to the Section 8 program.
SmallStar2.jpgWorked to develop an agreement that is helping to bring a new elementary school and affordable housing to the Westlake neighborhood. The community became concerned about competing needs for more housing and schools when the school district identified property that had already been acquired by a non-profit housing developer as a potential site for a new school. Mayor Hahn worked with Councilman Ed Reyes, the school district, and community organizations to find additional properties so that both projects could move forward.


HOMELESSNESS

SmallStar2.jpgWorked with Councilwoman Jan Perry to provide funding to provide homeless individuals with year-round shelter beds, meals, and social services. Previously, these services were primarily funded during the winter months.
SmallStar2.jpgConvened Bring LA Home, which brings together elected officials, homeless service providers, and other community leaders to draft a ten-year plan to end homelessness in Los Angeles, which will enable the region to compete for state and federal funding for homeless services.
SmallStar2.jpgPartnered with city, county, and federal agencies to provide over $3 million to assist chronically homeless individuals with physical or mental disability or substance abuse problems.
SmallStar2.jpgSupported development of new methodology to track services received by the homeless population to provide services more efficiently.
SmallStar2.jpgWorked to provide over $2 million to the Skid Row Collaborative to provide permanent shelter as well as mental health, drug abuse, and health care services to homeless people on Skid Row.