Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, elected last year on a pledge to mitigate the homeless crisis, said more than 14,000 people have moved off the streets since she took office more than six months ago.
(Bloomberg) — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, elected last year on a pledge to mitigate the homeless crisis, said more than 14,000 people have moved off the streets since she took office more than six months ago.
That figure puts Bass well on her way to meeting her campaign goal to find shelter for 17,000 people during her first year in office.
The homeless population in California’s major cities has swelled to more than 170,000 people — about a third of the US total. As of the last official point-in-time count in 2022, Los Angeles had an estimated 42,000 people sleeping on the streets on any given night in a city of 4 million.
Despite years of concerted efforts and billions of dollars in aid, the unhoused population has continued to grow, with sprawling tent cities and makeshift encampments becoming permanent fixtures on sidewalks and in public areas. An estimate by the watchdog Interagency Council on Homelessness shows $10 billion was spent in the state between 2018 and 2021 to fight the problem.
“It’s important to message to this entire city that we cannot leave these people in these tents dying,” Bass said Tuesday. “What we’re making sure is that they’re not going to languish in a tent.”
Read More: LA Chips Away at Homeless Crisis Driven by High Housing Costs
In March, Bass reported that about 4,000 homeless people were housed during her first few months in office. But her administration on Tuesday said that they undercounted the population, and the actual figure was 8,726. About 5,600 additional people have been assisted since then.
The administration brought people in through Bass’s signature Inside Safe program, which provides immediate shelter in hotels and motels and a path to supportive housing, and via emergency vouchers or programs that offer permanent homes.
Bass’s first budget approved by the city council last month set aside a record $1.3 billion to combat homelessness.
(Adds quote from Bass in the fifth paragraph)
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