More than two years ago, when homeless outreach workers told Clark Inglish about a new type of housing voucher that could swiftly move her out of a tent on the Los Angeles River and into an apartment, her mouth “almost dropped to the floor.”
The help arrived just in time. She was caring for her infant son while going to rehab to stay clean from methamphetamine when she received an Emergency Housing Voucher. Without it, Inglish says, the chances of her keeping custody would have been slim.
The novel pandemic-era program helped domestic violence victims, the recently jobless and those deemed chronically homeless pay for not just rent but security deposits, utility fee debt and moving costs. Backed by federal funding administered through local health departments, the program gave cities an unprecedented amount of flexibility and funding to get people housed…