LA County agrees to pay $236 million to settle lawsuit over services for the homeless

Another multi-million settlement has been reached to tackle Southern California's homeless crisis.

Los Angeles County agreed to commit $236 million to fund increased services, outreach and interim housing for the homeless. The commitment would be on top of the $532 million in Measure H and state funds the county had committed this year to prevent and address homelessness.

The proposed settlement "is a historic step forward that will now allow everyone to concentrate all their efforts on helping thousands of residents break the vicious cycle of homelessness," Skip Miller, outside counsel for the county, said.

In its March 2020 lawsuit, L.A. Alliance accused the city and county of failing to do its part in addressing the homelessness crisis. The city's settlement with the coalition was announced in April, but the county refused to participate, saying the city was seeking to force the county to pay for treating thousands of mentally ill homeless people on Skid Row, which is located within the city.

Mayor Eric Garcetti's office called the preliminary settlement "a landmark deal that will help improve cooperation between the city and the county on homelessness strategies and direct more resources toward the fight to confront homelessness in the region.''

The settlement now awaits approval from the court.