2 HOMELESS PROGRAMS FUNDED.

Byline: Rick Orlov  Staff Writer

Two city pilot programs designed to deal with the chronically homeless were announced Thursday, to be funded with $5.7 million from the federal government.

Officials acknowledged the three-year programs deal with only a small percentage of the homeless population. Los Angeles County has an estimated 84,000 residents, half of them in Los Angeles. Of that number, roughly 2,000 are considered chronically homeless - with no hope of leaving Skid Row.

``This is a pilot program and an important step to developing programs to eliminate homelessness in 10 years,'' said Mitchell Netburn, executive director of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

Under one plan, $2.1 million will go to the Skid Row Collaborative to provide housing and various health and education programs for 62 people.

The second program, funded with a $3.6 million grant, will be used by the Los Angeles Homeless Opportunity Providing Employment program to provide job training for the homeless. Officials estimated it will work with 76 people.

Philip Mangano, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, which brings together various federal agencies, said the initial grants were designed to develop programs to deal with the overall problem.

Mangano said President George W. Bush is committed to working with local governments to end the problems of chronic homelessness across the nation.

Los Angeles was one of 100 urban areas that was awarded funds, Mangano said.

Rick Orlov, [phone]

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com