LARCA Goes to Sacramento to Demand Fair Treatment for Seriously Mentally Ill and Seniors at Risk
Photo Caption: Homeless senior are everywhere. This person is sleeping on the handicapped ramp of the LA County Board of Supervisors Boardroom.
“Our Governor and Legislature must take immediate action to prevent the seriously mentally ill and seniors from becoming homeless and to avoid the devastation of this critical housing resource for some of the most vulnerable residents in the State,” said Bennie Tinson, MPP, LARCA Executive Director.
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. The Licensed Adult Residential Care Association (LARCA)
will travel to Sacramento August 22-23, in coordination with the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Greater Los Angeles County to advocate for fair treatment for Los Angeles County’s seriously mentally ill.
Low-income people living with serious mental illness in LA County and across the State are at risk of becoming homeless. The Department of Social Services recently reported the closing of 27 facilities in Los Angeles County in the first quarter of 2023, that provide care and housing for some of the States most vulnerable residents.
More facilities are expected to close before the end of the year. LARCA Members are urging Governor Newsom and State Legislators to move quickly to provide immediate emergency funding to prevent millions of low-income seniors and adults living with serious mental illness from becoming homeless. Residents diagnosed with a serious mental illness receive approximately $44 a day.
LARCA members are requesting an immediate infusion of $2,000 for each bed in a state-licensed facility with 70% of their residents receiving the Social Security Income (SSI) payment, living with serious mental illness, and receiving no other supplemental assistance.
Adult Residential Facilities (ARFs) and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs), more commonly known as “Board and Cares,” provide housing, 24/7 care, staff assistance to help residents meet their basic daily needs, three meals a day snacks, medication management and more.
The Licensed Adult Residential Care Association (LARCA) represents over 400 Los Angeles County licensed ARF’s and RCFE’s, many of whom are struggling to keep their doors open and more than 15,000 low-income Los Angeles County residents living with serious mental illness.
About The Licensed Adult Residential Care Association (LARCA)
LARCA is a nonprofit community-based membership association with an emphasis on serving the population of owner/operators of Adult Residential Facilities (ARFs) and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs) and their residents, who are reliant on public benefits and/or living with serious mental illness, formed with fiscal sponsorship from the National Alliance on Mental Illness Greater Los Angeles County (NAMI GLAC).
Photo caption: Rhoda and Gochin – who have operated a small family-style board and care home in the San Fernando Valley (Los Angeles) for the last 22 years
Solo man: Bennie Tinson, MPP, LARCA Executive Director