April 17, 2025
The Honorable Matt Haney
Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee
1020 N Street, Room 156
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: LIVE Support for Assembly Bill 678 (Lee)
Dear Chair Haney,
LGBTQ+ Inclusivity, Visibility, and Empowerment (LIVE) is pleased to support AB 678 (Lee), legislation that would require the California Interagency Council on Homelessness to coordinate with LGBTQ+ housing providers, nonprofits, advocates, and researchers to recommend policies and best practices for improving services for LGBTQ+ people experiencing homelessness.
LIVE is a program of changemakers that celebrates LGBTQ+ diversity and creates a more inclusive world where LGBTQ+ community members can live authentically. LIVE creates positive change by uplifting and empowering individuals to raise their voices in policymaking, stigma reduction and unifying community. LIVE is committed to advocating for the health, wellness, and rights of the LGBTQ+ community, ensuring that all individuals can thrive without facing discrimination or barriers to their livelihood.
Affordability, discrimination, race, and ethnicity are some of the primary challenges the LGBTQ+ community faces attempting to secure stable and safe housing. LGBTQ+ individuals are twice as likely as non-LGBTQ people to be unhoused.[1] To better support the LGBTQ+ community and address these challenges, California must collaborate with and center the lived experience of the community in the delivery of education, training, resources, and collect data to prevent discrimination, harassment, and violence.
This bill will include LGBTQ+ serving organizations, individuals, and advocates in the creation of best practices and culturally competent services. It is for these reasons that LIVE supports AB 678 (Lee) and asks for your “Aye” vote. If you have any questions, or if LIVE can provide assistance on this bill or any other legislation, please do not hesitate to contact me at agaribaymena@mhac.org or our Public Policy Coordinator, Danny Thirakul, at dthirakul@mhac.org.
In Community,
Anthony Garibay-Mena
LGBTQ+ Inclusivity, Visibility, and Empowerment
Program Manager
[1] thisisloyal.com, L. |. (2024, October 31). Housing is an LGBTQ issue. Williams Institute.
