By The American Tribune | Created at 2026-08-13 10:27:01 | Updated at 2026-08-13 11:59:52
1 hour ago
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner traveled to Los Angeles and delivered a candid message to the agency responsible for the city’s homelessness response: The federal money is being shut off. Turner said the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, commonly known as LAHSA, will receive nothing further until it can explain how taxpayer dollars were spent. The Trump administration had already suspended the agency amid a federal investigation into alleged mismanagement, false statements, and conflicts of interest. Turner used his appearance in Mayor Karen Bass’s sanctuary city to make clear that the freeze remains in place.
Turner appeared alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during an August 11th press conference at the Los Angeles Dream Center, a faith-based treatment facility. The two secretaries criticized California’s handling of homelessness and promoted treatment, recovery, and self-sufficiency rather than endlessly expanding government programs. Turner focused much of his address on LAHSA’s financial record and the billions spent across the city while homelessness continued to rise. Large screens behind the officials displayed the words “Cancel Corruption.”
“Joint efforts, they highlight why we put LAHSA on notice,” Turner said. “They will not receive another cent of American taxpayer money until they can account for every single dollar.” He then pointed to a basic principle that Los Angeles officials have seemingly ignored: “Money, as we all know and all agree, does not grow on trees. Taxpayers understand this. The American people understand this. We must and we shall be good stewards.”
Turner said hundreds of millions of dollars had been funneled through LAHSA year after year with little accountability and no results capable of justifying the expense. HUD’s official account of the Los Angeles visit said federal homelessness funding sent to the region nearly tripled during the last decade, while homelessness in Los Angeles doubled. “The LA Continuum of Care, led by LAHSA, had received $1 billion in taxpayer dollars over the last five years,” Turner said during the press conference. “That’s $1 billion over the last five years, with no accountability and zero results.”
The secretary said Los Angeles received more federal homelessness funding than any other jurisdiction in the country, yet remained the center of what the administration describes as a drug-driven homelessness crisis. “How many know that’s a problem?” Turner asked after contrasting the increase in federal spending with the increase in homelessness. “We’ve got to run a new play. That play does not work.” Turner said HUD is interested in measurable results, including getting Americans off the streets, away from addiction, and onto a path toward supporting themselves.
Turner cited one of the findings that prompted HUD to act against LAHSA. “LAHSA could not verify the existence of 2,300 housing units,” he said, referring to housing sites for which the agency was responsible but failed to document during a 2025 assessment. HUD has also accused LAHSA of flouting conflict-of-interest requirements. The department said LAHSA’s former chief executive and the agency violated federal conflict-of-interest rules by committing more than $2 million in federal funds to an organization that employed her husband.
Watch Turner announce that LAHSA will not receive another dollar here:
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“As good stewards of taxpayer dollars, we have cut LAHSA off from receiving another dollar,” Turner continued. “We have zero tolerance for this abuse.” He said President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance had directed the administration to root out corruption while ensuring that assistance reaches people who genuinely need care. “The days of funding corrupt failure are over,” Turner declared.
“The Trump administration will not fund a homeless industrial complex any longer,” Turner added. “At HUD, we’re only interested in real results, and that’s actually helping our fellow Americans get off the streets, out of addiction, and on the path to self-sufficiency.” He then thanked those gathered at the Dream Center before introducing Kennedy as his “dear friend, colleague, and brother.” Kennedy followed Turner by echoing that federal agencies should fund programs that move homeless Americans into treatment and recovery instead of funding the systems that allow the crisis to continue.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.
