L.A. County invests in helping the needy get federal aid

Facing record levels of unemployment and looming state welfare cuts, Los Angeles County supervisors Tuesday finalized a plan to begin shifting responsibility for some of the most destitute residents to the federal government.

County officials had set aside $7.2 million -- with the expectation of reaping twice that in savings -- to help general relief recipients apply for federal disability assistance or find work. They decided to use the funds to help recipients get into stable housing, locate medical records and obtain the detailed health assessments they need to apply for supplementary security income or veterans benefits.

If granted, instead of getting $221 a month in county-funded general relief, the recipients could get up to $845 a month in supplemental security income. Instead of relying on county emergency rooms, they would become eligible for Medi-Cal.

“At the end of the day the people who need these programs are going to get better treatment,” said Supervisor Don Knabe. “I think it’s a win-win for both sides.”

By June, L.A. County is projected to have nearly 100,000 people on general relief, a program for adults who do not qualify for state or federal aid. That would be the highest number in more than a decade. County payments to beneficiaries are expected to reach $200 million by the end of this fiscal year -- with nearly $800 million more spent on healthcare, law enforcement and other services -- even as more cuts to the state’s welfare programs are proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

County officials estimate as many as 60% of general relief recipients are homeless, many with mental and physical disabilities that can make it difficult to navigate the welfare system. Central to the county’s plan is increasing from 900 to 10,000 the number of housing subsidies available by December 2014 to those seeking employment or federal aid. Recipients would be required to contribute $100 of each general relief check toward their housing costs and the county would provide an additional $400 month.

Nonprofit groups that work with the poor said getting the chronically homeless into stable housing would make it easier to link them to services that can help them find jobs and obtain benefits.

Two county pilot projects are planned to test how some of these groups can help sign up more recipients for federal aid. County social workers told the board they have already helped thousands to do this and want to remain part of the process.

Among those who recently moved from county to federal benefits was Mark Kelly, a veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I went eight months on the streets in the same clothes,” Kelly told the board. “Now I’m in a system that works if you are willing to work it.”

alexandra.zavis@latimes.com