The State - News from July 1, 1988

An Oakland judge has blocked a new statewide regulation that would have ended cash payments for homeless families to pay for shelter if they live temporarily with friends or relatives. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Michael E. Ballachey’s order “prevents a state policy from going into effect which would have literally forced homeless families out into the street with their belongings and their children in order to qualify for aid,” said attorney Robert D. Newman. Los Angeles attorney Melinda Bird said that about 5,000 families statewide, most of them in Los Angeles, receive the $30-a-day stipend while looking for housing. Another 2,700 families receive a payment each month to cover security deposits and moving expenses when they locate permanent housing, she said. Being able to stay with friends or relatives in an emergency is a great advantage to families who have lost their homes, she said, but they still need state help in looking for new quarters.