Judge blocks federal suspension of L.A. homeless services funds

A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to resume the provision of funds to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, or LAHSA. The judge found that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development illegally revoked funding to LAHSA in June, just weeks after granting it funding in April. “LAHSA may be dysfunctional. But thousands of unhoused individuals rely on these services,” U.S. District Judge David Carter said in the ruling.

What makes LAHSA “dysfunctional?” The Trump administration alleged in June that an investigation its inspector general’s office conducted into LAHSA revealed that the agency had repeatedly made false statements and failed to manage its finances properly. LAHSA also failed to set up effective internal controls and safeguard against conflicts of interest, HUD said.

What has LAHSA had to say about those allegations? LAHSA, in a statement provided to WORLD shortly after the Trump administration said it was revoking its funding, explained that it had already addressed or was in the process of addressing the issues HUD’s inspector general’s office raised. The agency later sued the Trump administration, saying it improperly removed its funding and disputing the allegations that served as the basis of the removal.

Dig deeper: Read my report in Compassion about how HUD recently put new rules in place to protect homeless women from men identifying themselves as women.