LAs $1B homeless spending mess lands in Ramans lap as she faces daunting financial cleanup

Los Angeles has poured more than $1 billion into homelessness programs, but the city still can’t account for hundreds of millions of dollars in spending — a spending headache Mayor-elect Nithya Raman will inherit.A new report presented Tuesday revealed that the city had spent or committed just $368.9 million of its adjusted homelessness funding by March 31, leaving $636.1 million unspent or not yet committed.The findings put a spotlight on the sprawling homelessness bureaucracy Raman has pledged to audit as she vows to cut street encampments by at least 50% before the 2028 Olympics.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story LA has 45,194 homeless residents, including 29,115 living on the streets, despite years of massive taxpayer spending on shelters, housing and other programs.“We want to ensure that we are tracking every dollar, filling every bed, and delivering the results that Angelenos deserve across every neighborhood,” Raman told The California Post and other reporters Tuesday at City Hall.The scope of the spending challenge emerged in a 23-page report presented to the City Council’s Homelessness and Health Committee.The city initially approved $953.3 million for homelessness programs in fiscal year 2025–26.Additional funding subsequently pushed the total above $1 billion.But by March 31, just $368.9 million had been spent or committed, according to the report.City officials said roughly $441 million of the remaining funds was earmarked for multiyear programs, while other money had yet to be assigned to specific uses.The report also exposed wide differences in how quickly city agencies were putting the money to work.The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), which oversees shelters and other services, had spent or committed $165.5 million of...