Ask the L.A. mayor candidates: What about helping the homeless who live on our streets?

During separate video interviews with the Los Angeles Times last month, candidates for L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel responded to questions from individual voters.

Among them is Mollie Lowrey, who asked: What will the candidates do to help the thousands of men, women and children who live on our streets because they have nowhere else to go?

“Up to 60% of the folks who are homeless are struggling with mental illness, addictions and chronic physical disabilities.... Can we really continue to deny these people their basic human right to housing?”

Here’s the video of what Garcetti had to say to Lowrey.

The answer from Greuel, who responded to Walker’s question in writing, is below:

Throughout my career, I have developed a record of fighting for affordable housing issues and keeping families off the street — whether working with Mayor Tom Bradley, serving at the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Clinton administration, or as a city councilwoman and city controller.

I’ve championed changing city laws to prevent unjust tenant evictions and identified problems with how our city housing dollars are spent. As mayor, I would remain committed to this issue, and there’s much more we can do.

First, as mayor, I’ll get the city’s departments talking to one another and working together to provide subsidies, protect tenants, reform the inspection and adjudication processes and restore funding for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to $100 million. I’ll have a housing cabinet as mayor and will appoint a deputy mayor-level individual to make sure Angelenos are getting the results they deserve.

Second, I’ll work with Sacramento to help create legislation that will help local government fund and create quality affordable housing for those most in need — since the CRA is no longer in existence.

Third, we need to do a better job competing for federal grants — particularly the HOME Investment Partnerships Program and the Community Development Block Grant program. It is critical that we have wrap-around services available throughout our community, serving the people who need it most.

I am also committed to providing job training in our most underserved communities, which will help end the cycle of homelessness.

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Twitter: @LATimesCityGov

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