Faced with another bad homelessness count, L.A. reacts with frustration
1 year, 9 months ago

Faced with another bad homelessness count, L.A. reacts with frustration

LA Times  

L.A. leaders have thrown themselves into the fight against homelessness in recent years, spending an ever-growing amount of money on programs meant to pull the city’s neediest residents back from the brink. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, center, with City Council President Paul Krekorian, left, and actor Danny Trejo in North Hollywood during the homelessness count in January. Councilmember Nithya Raman, who heads the council’s homelessness committee, said the latest numbers are disappointing but “not totally shocking,” given what took place in the run-up to this year’s homelessness count. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district stretches from Gorman on the northwest to Claremont on the east, said the newest homelessness numbers should deliver a “wake-up call.” Barger said many cities in her district are frustrated with how the county has spent its funding from Measure H, which will expire in four years and cannot be renewed without voter approval. “Because people don’t feel like they’re seeing anything for the investment.” Councilmember Kevin de León, whose district includes downtown, called the citywide homelessness count numbers “abysmal,” saying they underscore the need for more affordable and interim housing.

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History of this topic

A radical reshaping of L.A. County’s homeless services system is proposed
4 months, 1 week ago

A radical reshaping of L.A. County’s homeless services system is proposed

LA Times  

Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian, from right, and L.A. County Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger join other volunteers to count the homeless in North Hollywood on Jan. 23. Responding to long-standing dissatisfaction over the effectiveness of homelessness programs, Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger are proposing a new county department that would take over hundreds of millions …

Trump takes a hard line on homelessness. Why L.A. Mayor Karen Bass hopes to find common ground
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Trump takes a hard line on homelessness. Why L.A. Mayor Karen Bass hopes to find common ground

LA Times  

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to arrest thousands of homeless people sleeping in American streets and move them to large tent cities on “inexpensive land,” one of several planks of his agenda that would upend a national strategy that focuses on finding people housing on a voluntary basis. But Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who is trying to combat one …

Bass vows not to bus homeless people out for 2028 Olympics. But what will L.A. do?
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Bass vows not to bus homeless people out for 2028 Olympics. But what will L.A. do?

LA Times  

In Paris, the French government packed homeless people and migrants onto buses and sent them out of the city as the Summer Olympics approached. Mayor Karen Bass’ Inside Safe initiative went to Hollywood Boulevard on Thursday, moving about three dozen people indoors. Mayor Karen Bass’ Inside Safe program senior director Annetta Wells, right, coordinates with the Los Angeles Sanitation Bureau …

Editorial: Drop in L.A.’s homeless population shows efforts to house people are paying off
9 months ago

Editorial: Drop in L.A.’s homeless population shows efforts to house people are paying off

LA Times  

Wah Chen, 52, counts a homeless man sleeping next to his tent while participating in the second night of the 2024 Los Angeles County homeless count on Jan. 24. The results of the 2024 point-in-time homeless count released Friday show a 2.2% drop in the population of unhoused people living in the city of Los Angeles, from 46,260 in 2023 …

Mayor Bass’ ambitious housing program calls on L.A.’s wealthy. Can she pull it off?
11 months, 1 week ago

Mayor Bass’ ambitious housing program calls on L.A.’s wealthy. Can she pull it off?

LA Times  

Philanthropic and real estate leaders reacted with hope and skepticism to the initiative, LA4LA, which Mayor Karen Bass unveiled Monday during her State of the City address. “People are a little less cynical, because she has shown that things can be done,” said Bojarsky, pointing to Bass’ executive order speeding up affordable housing construction and other programs led by her …

Man builds entire home next to LA freeway
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Man builds entire home next to LA freeway

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The home is part of an unhoused community …

Mayor Karen Bass urges L.A.’s wealthy to fund homeless housing
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Mayor Karen Bass urges L.A.’s wealthy to fund homeless housing

LA Times  

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass delivers her second State of the City address at City Hall on Monday. “And now we must prevail on the humanity and generosity of the private sector.” The pitch comes as Bass is working to break a logjam that has limited the city’s ability to move homeless Angelenos out of interim housing, such as hotel and …

In Hollywood, homeless encampments fuel neighborhood frustration with Bass and Raman
1 year, 1 month ago

In Hollywood, homeless encampments fuel neighborhood frustration with Bass and Raman

LA Times  

The fire that broke out on Franklin Avenue last month was, by some measures, a modest one. “People are scared for their safety,” said Alexa Iles Skarpelos, who co-chairs the LAPD’s Community Police Advisory Board in Hollywood and is voting for Raman’s opponent, Deputy City Atty. Bass said two unhoused residents refused to go inside — one of them facing …

Your guide to the L.A. City Council District 4 race: Nithya Raman faces two challengers
1 year, 2 months ago

Your guide to the L.A. City Council District 4 race: Nithya Raman faces two challengers

LA Times  

Raman, 42, is running on her record on housing and homelessness, particularly her work winning passage of a wide-ranging package of citywide tenant protections. She’s also worked to move homeless people out of some of the district’s most entrenched encampments, including those that were on Berendo Street just north of Hollywood Boulevard, Coldwater Canyon Avenue underneath the 101 Freeway and …

Endorsement: Reelect Nithya Raman to the Los Angeles City Council
1 year, 2 months ago

Endorsement: Reelect Nithya Raman to the Los Angeles City Council

LA Times  

Nithya Raman was a relative newcomer to Los Angeles city politics when she was elected to the City Council as a progressive in November 2020 — unseating a council incumbent for the first time in 17 years. She has been resourceful at obtaining city and state funds as well as using her own council discretionary funds to help house hundreds …

One year on, has the mayor of LA finally put a dent in homelessness?
1 year, 3 months ago

One year on, has the mayor of LA finally put a dent in homelessness?

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery The Palm Tree Inn …

Homeless numbers in Los Angeles could surge again, even as thousands move to temporary shelter
1 year, 3 months ago

Homeless numbers in Los Angeles could surge again, even as thousands move to temporary shelter

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — In the hours after being elected mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass made a promise that will be an inescapable metric of her time in office: “We are going to solve homelessness.” The Democratic member of Congress, who had been on then-candidate Joe Biden’s short list for vice president, envisioned streets clear of more than 40,000 homeless …

Can homelessness in L.A. ever be ‘rare, brief and nonrecurring’?
1 year, 3 months ago

Can homelessness in L.A. ever be ‘rare, brief and nonrecurring’?

LA Times  

Elise Buik, president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and Peter Laugharn, president and CEO of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, believe it’s possible to turn the homelessness crisis around. The featured speakers were Peter Laugharn, president and CEO of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and Elise Buik, president and CEO of United Way of Greater …

Column: Is L.A. actually solving homelessness? The answer will start with perception, not reality
1 year, 3 months ago

Column: Is L.A. actually solving homelessness? The answer will start with perception, not reality

LA Times  

Mayor Karen Bass, accompanied by HUD official Richard J. Monocchio, left, and City Councilmembers Nithya Raman, far left, Hugo Soto-Martinez and Bob Blumenfield, speak to reporters in Hollywood on Wednesday. “I do really worry that it’s become normalized in public discourse to speak about people experiencing homelessness as, like, a problem for those who are not homeless — as opposed …

Despite concerns, L.A. council votes to buy a hotel for its fight against homelessness
1 year, 7 months ago

Despite concerns, L.A. council votes to buy a hotel for its fight against homelessness

LA Times  

The Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to buy the Mayfair Hotel for $60 million. The Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to purchase a 294-room boutique hotel and use it as a key asset in Mayor Karen Bass’ fight against homelessness, despite concerns from council members about safety, long-term costs and the plan for running the building. Hernandez said …

An L.A. hotel became homeless housing. The city paid $11.5 million to cover the damage
1 year, 7 months ago

An L.A. hotel became homeless housing. The city paid $11.5 million to cover the damage

LA Times  

The city of Los Angeles recently paid the owner of the Mayfair Hotel more than $11.5 million to resolve damage claims filed over the building’s use as homeless housing under Project Roomkey. “The situation was quickly broken up and 1526 was escorted out by police.” The city has quietly paid the hotel’s owner $11.5 million in recent months to resolve …

L.A. mayor reports that 14,000 homeless people have moved off the streets
1 year, 9 months ago

L.A. mayor reports that 14,000 homeless people have moved off the streets

LA Times  

Tierra Signer waits with her belongings, to get housing under Inside Safe program, along 400 S. San Vicente Boulevard. More than 14,000 people experiencing homelessness have been moved off the streets during the first six months of her administration, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass reported Tuesday. Bass said the housing placements resulted from executive directives she enacted upon entering office, …

Bass looks to buy a 15-story hotel as she ramps up her fight against homelessness
1 year, 10 months ago

Bass looks to buy a 15-story hotel as she ramps up her fight against homelessness

LA Times  

Mayor Karen Bass chats with Jawonna Smith, who was living in a tent on a sidewalk behind the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ homelessness team is looking to purchase a 15-story hotel in the city’s Westlake neighborhood, the latest big expenditure planned as part of her “Inside Safe” program. In a memo sent to the …

L.A. strongly approves of Mayor Bass but skeptical about fixing homelessness, poll shows
2 years ago

L.A. strongly approves of Mayor Bass but skeptical about fixing homelessness, poll shows

LA Times  

On the eve of her 100th day in office, Mayor Karen Bass enjoys strong approval ratings among Angelenos — a reservoir of goodwill that will be crucial for the new mayor during uphill battles ahead. Half of Angelenos approve of the job Bass is doing so far, while just 14% say they disapprove, according to a Suffolk University/Los Angeles Times …

LA taps hotel rooms as estimated 40,000 people live homeless
2 years, 3 months ago

LA taps hotel rooms as estimated 40,000 people live homeless

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — The new mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, said Sunday her administration will start moving homeless people from tent encampments into hotels and motels through a new program that launches Tuesday. Bass told NBC’s “Meet the Press” host, Chuck Todd, that her plan to move homeless people into rooms immediately will not “address everybody, but it is …

Homeless crisis, fear of crime shaping LA mayor election
3 years, 1 month ago

Homeless crisis, fear of crime shaping LA mayor election

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — The contest to become the next mayor of Los Angeles can be distilled into a single question with no easy answer: Who can fix this mess? As voters in the city of 4 million people begin to assess a large, diverse cast of candidates to replace beleaguered two-term Democratic Mayor Eric Garcetti, at issue is whether LA …

If elected mayor, Rep. Karen Bass wants to house 15,000 homeless people in first year
3 years, 2 months ago

If elected mayor, Rep. Karen Bass wants to house 15,000 homeless people in first year

LA Times  

L.A. mayoral candidate Rep. Karen Bass calls for 15,000 homeless people to be housed in her first year in office. Bass unveiled a plan Friday calling for 15,000 people to be housed in her first year in office — though she didn’t specify exactly what proportion of those people would go into permanent housing, as opposed to interim housing such …

‘Gimme Shelter’: What you need to know about homelessness in Los Angeles
3 years, 9 months ago

‘Gimme Shelter’: What you need to know about homelessness in Los Angeles

LA Times  

Los Angeles is the epicenter of the homelessness crisis in California. On this episode of “Gimme Shelter: The California Housing Crisis Podcast,” we discuss the history of homelessness in Los Angeles and delve into what might happen in Venice as public officials gear up for a mass effort to provide shelter for those living on the boardwalk. We also talk …

Editorial: Are L.A. leaders serious about homeless housing?
3 years, 11 months ago

Editorial: Are L.A. leaders serious about homeless housing?

LA Times  

The building at 10243 N. Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Chatsworth is currently an automotive sales lot and garages but is the planned site for a 55-unit homeless housing development. On the same day that U.S. District Judge David O. Carter issued an order lambasting L.A.’s political leaders for failing to treat homelessness like the humanitarian crisis it is, Councilman John …

Judge issues order for Los Angeles to move homeless living near freeways, citing health concerns
4 years, 10 months ago

Judge issues order for Los Angeles to move homeless living near freeways, citing health concerns

LA Times  

A homeless encampment beneath the 405 Freeway on Venice Boulevard. Those who live in the camp call it “Westside skid row.” Thousands of homeless people living near freeways in Los Angeles County are in line to receive alternative shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic after a federal court judge ordered local authorities to find them housing. The preliminary injunction, issued Friday …

Governor: 16,000 hotel rooms to house homeless in California
4 years, 11 months ago

Governor: 16,000 hotel rooms to house homeless in California

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — California is on its way to acquiring nearly 16,000 hotel rooms to house the homeless during the pandemic, Gov. There are concerns the virus could sweep through the state’s 150,000 homeless people, many of whom have chronic health conditions and lack safe places to quarantine themselves. Among the more than 100 homeless people in an undisclosed hotel …

L.A. races to save 15,000 homeless people from coronavirus — one hotel room at a time
4 years, 11 months ago

L.A. races to save 15,000 homeless people from coronavirus — one hotel room at a time

LA Times  

Omar Spry of the Los Angeles Housing Community Investment Department pushes a cart of bags into a West L.A. hotel that has been turned into housing for homeless people during the coronavirus pandemic. “We’re in a race to save lives,” said Sarah Dusseault, chairwoman of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s oversight commission. “Our thought is that every person who …

Introducing your new place to keep up with California’s housing and homelessness crisis
5 years, 2 months ago

Introducing your new place to keep up with California’s housing and homelessness crisis

LA Times  

A homeless person stands with his belongings on the first night of this year’s L.A. County homeless count in North Hollywood. The Los Angeles Times is continuing its commitment to covering the state’s homelessness and affordable housing crisis with a new section on latimes.com that will bring together our best coverage. Therefore, last week, we also launched our first in …

Majority of L.A. County voters say taxpayer money on homelessness isn’t spent effectively, Times poll finds
5 years, 4 months ago

Majority of L.A. County voters say taxpayer money on homelessness isn’t spent effectively, Times poll finds

LA Times  

As homelessness has exploded in Los Angeles in recent years, taxpayers have been willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on housing, shelters and services to help get people off the streets. “It looks like there is support for higher-density zoning, mixed-income housing, which I was glad to see,” said Elise Buik, president and chief executive of United Way …

Trump really wants to solve homelessness in L.A., Giuliani says. Details are lacking
5 years, 6 months ago

Trump really wants to solve homelessness in L.A., Giuliani says. Details are lacking

LA Times  

Up to now, President Trump’s interest in the Los Angeles homelessness crisis has been more rhetoric than action, and it’s unclear whether a visit by members of his administration this week — or by Trump himself next Wednesday — will lead to substantive new policies. There’s a great frustration with it.” Giuliani said the administration has been working on homelessness …

Homelessness isn’t huge in this part of L.A. — but it’s a huge campaign issue
5 years, 10 months ago

Homelessness isn’t huge in this part of L.A. — but it’s a huge campaign issue

LA Times  

Donna Nycz, 62, carries some of her belongings after being ordered out of an encampment east of De Soto Avenue along the Metrolink route in Chatsworth last month. “We’re letting this homeless issue overwhelm the citizens that want a clean, safe environment.” Residents listen to Los Angeles City Council candidates at a forum at Temple Ahavat Shalom in Porter Ranch …

L.A. promised more housing for homeless people — but some neighborhoods are way behind
6 years ago

L.A. promised more housing for homeless people — but some neighborhoods are way behind

LA Times  

Jason Brackett, who calls himself a “garbologist,” is a homeless man living in Chatsworth who ekes out a living by gathering items to recycle. “They don’t want us here.” Despite the pledge that Los Angeles City Council members made one year ago Wednesday to support new housing with supportive services in each of their districts, zero units have been approved …

L.A. lawmakers face opposition over homeless shelter plans
6 years, 9 months ago

L.A. lawmakers face opposition over homeless shelter plans

LA Times  

Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin, left, fields questions from residents about a planned emergency shelter for homeless people at Westminster Elementary School last week in Venice. In the crowded auditorium where Bonin promoted the shelter plan, several people hoisted a yellow banner that declared “Venice Says No!” “Some of the burden needs to be taken off of the four …

Editorial: The homeless in L.A. are not who you think they are
7 years, 1 month ago

Editorial: The homeless in L.A. are not who you think they are

LA Times  

Many people think of homelessness as a problem of substance abusers and mentally ill people, of chronic skid row street-dwellers pushing shopping carts. Bottom, Nadia's children in the dining room of the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission’s shelter for homeless families. In 2006, Los Angeles voters rejected a $1-billion bond to create 10,000 residential units for low-income and homeless people, …

‘There’s no place else ... that we can run to’: Residents of huge homeless camp are asked to clear out to make way for LAX project
8 years, 1 month ago

‘There’s no place else ... that we can run to’: Residents of huge homeless camp are asked to clear out to make way for LAX project

LA Times  

A homeless camp stands in the way of Los Angeles International Airport’s planned rental car facility, parking areas and transportation hub. 3 / 12 Debris and possessions cover the sidewalk at homeless encampments along W. 94th Street in the Manchester Square neighborhood in Los Angeles. 4 / 12 Joe Sigler 59, sits with his dog Mojo at his homeless encampment …

Column: No excuse for L.A.’s surging homeless population
9 years, 10 months ago

Column: No excuse for L.A.’s surging homeless population

LA Times  

You see them behind bushes and in parks, in ragged tents and beat-up vans, on beaches and along arroyos, under bridges, in alleys and on sidewalks. The number of people without a place to live has grown by 12% in riches-and-rags Los Angeles County in the last two years, to nearly 45,000, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s …

Lowering A City's Homeless Population — By Forcing The Homeless Out
9 years, 11 months ago

Lowering A City's Homeless Population — By Forcing The Homeless Out

NPR  

Lowering A City's Homeless Population — By Forcing The Homeless Out Enlarge this image toggle caption Greg Allen Greg Allen It's been a week of goodbyes at the Homeless Voice in Hollywood, Fla. For nearly 13 years, this rundown, 22-room hotel operated as a homeless shelter. Storey says that Cononie's homeless shelter presented an obstacle in an area targeted for …

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