$867,000 in Measure A Funds Secured for Rental Assistance to Prevent Homelessness

The City Council voted on Monday to approve a contract with Los Angeles County to receive $867,473 in Measure A Local Solutions Funds to support rental assistance for extremely low-income residents at risk of homelessness.

The agreement covers Fiscal Year 2026 and directs the full allocation toward preserving housing stability for vulnerable households currently enrolled in the city’s rental assistance programs.

Specifically, the funds are intended to assist tenants who were receiving federal Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV) under a COVID-era program that is set to expire at the end of 2025.

The City currently administers EHVs for 87 households, all classified as very low-income and at high risk of returning to homelessness if their rental support is discontinued. The Local Solutions Funds (LSF) allocation will cover approximately 35 of those households at current assistance levels. City staff intends to identify other grant sources to support the remaining households.

The rental assistance is part of a broader effort under Measure A, the half-cent sales tax initiative approved by Los Angeles County voters in November.

The measure, which went into effect April 1, repealed and replaced the expiring Measure H quarter-cent tax, expanding dedicated funding for affordable housing production, supportive housing, homelessness services, and prevention infrastructure. Measure A is projected to generate more than $1 billion annually.

Under the funding framework adopted by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, 15% of Measure A’s Comprehensive Homelessness Services funding must be allocated to Local Solutions Funds, which are distributed to cities and councils of governments using a formula based on each jurisdiction’s homelessness count and census data. Pasadena’s FY 2026 allocation totals $867,473.

In addition to the initial contract through June 30, 2026, the City Council authorized two future amendments: one to accept up to $1 million in Fiscal Year 2027 funds and extend the contract through June 2027, and another to accept up to $1 million for Fiscal Year 2028, extending the agreement through June 2028. Both amendments would be contingent on the availability of Measure A funding in those years.

Measure A funds will be critical in bridging gaps left by the expiration of federal pandemic-era programs. The EHV program, originally intended to run through 2030, was terminated early by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, with federal officials announcing that no new funding will be available beyond 2025.

Remaining unspent federal EHV funds may still be used during calendar year 2026, but long-term support will require alternative funding sources such as Measure A.

Beyond the Local Solutions Funds, the City is slated to receive $1.32 million in Measure A funding directly from the County for homelessness services, including shelter, housing navigation, and prevention programs.

These efforts have been previously supported through Measure H and are expected to continue uninterrupted under Measure A.

Pasadena also anticipates future allocations from the portion of Measure A directed to the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA).

Those funds will be distributed through the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Regional Housing Trust for affordable housing development, tenant protections, housing preservation, and related planning efforts.