Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ strategy to hire wealthy residents to help fund housing for the homeless has drawn support from local business leaders who say it may be the only solution to effectively address the growing crisis. ing.
In his State of the Union address on Monday, the Democratic mayor highlighted the city’s struggle to house more than 40,000 homeless people, declaring that “the crisis on our streets is nothing short of a disaster.”
Bass touted the success of his signature Inside Safe program, which has moved more than 21,000 homeless people into temporary shelters, the report said. Associated Press. She claimed that this “strategy” and “system” of moving the homeless into temporary housing would ultimately end Los Angeles’ homelessness crisis.
La Mayor asks wealthy people to help homeless buy homes: ‘Unprecedented partnership’
New programs to house the homeless depend on “the humanity and generosity of the private sector,” Mayor Bass said. (Frederick J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
To do this, Bass called on wealthy people to help “accelerate” housing purchases for the homeless as a cornerstone of her new initiative, LA4LA.
The new program will rely on “the humanity and generosity of the private sector,” the mayor said. “LA4LA is a game-changer for Los Angeles, an unprecedented partnership in the fight against this emergency, and a potentially example of how we can disrupt the status quo and build new systems that save lives.”
“Currently, we are working to eliminate night rentals,” she added. “We will use individuals, the private sector, and philanthropic funds to join us in this effort to help the most fortunate Angelenos acquire more real estate, lower capital costs, and help expedite housing.” I request you to do so.”
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass speaks at a press conference to kick off the annual homeless count in the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
While some are skeptical that individual donations alone can solve the problem, other business leaders and local philanthropists are hopeful that the city’s taxpayers are making little progress in reducing homelessness, with little quantitative progress. They say they are cautious about spending even more money.
Ann LA Times article The title is “Mayor Bass’s ambitious housing plan calls out to Los Angeles’ wealthy residents. Will she be able to pull it off?” A non-profit organization that aims to “reinvigorate L.A.’s civic identity.” People seem to be “less cynical” about LA4LA’s efforts than similar efforts in the past, quoting co-founder Donna Bojalski.
“She showed that things can be done,” Bojalski said of Bass.
LA4LA has reportedly raised more than $10 million so far, and one of LA4LA’s business leaders, former Disney CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, has donated $300,000, the Times reported. He told the program that the initiative relied on “philanthropy’s flexibility to get housing units up and running quickly for people who need them right now.”
L.A.’s wealthy residents and business leaders want to help in this crisis, and “they just need to know how,” HACLA CEO Douglas Guthrie told the Times. “We’re trying to give them a path to do that.”
The homelessness crisis affects everyone in the city, drives away businesses and customers, wastes taxpayers’ city resources and creates safety hazards, Bass said.
Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, told the Times that the effort is smarter than taking the issue back to disgruntled voters at the polls. The media reported that it expects business leaders to step up to support LA4LA.
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Governor Gavin Newsom (left) and people at a California homeless camp (right). (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images and Robyn Beck / AFP via Getty Images)
Waldman pointed to the $6.4 billion ballot measure Gov. Gavin Newsom passed in March to address the state’s growing homelessness crisis. The measure was approved by a narrow majority of 50.2% of the roughly 7.2 million voters, evidence that voters are reluctant to spend more money on homelessness, Waldman said.
“People are tired and it’s over,” Waldman told the Times. “The only way they can get any more money is through private donations.”
More than 75,500 people will be considered homeless in 2023, a 9% increase countywide, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), the city’s central home for homeless services. Approximately 46,200 people are considered homeless in the city, an increase of 10% from the previous year.
The streets of downtown Los Angeles are lined with tents housing homeless people. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)
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fox news digital A coalition of Los Angeles city business owners and residents has filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging it has not honored a 2020 settlement agreement that promised to build thousands of shelters and clear out homeless encampments. Reported.
Last week, the Los Angeles City Council agreed to pay an outside firm $2.2 million to audit its anti-homelessness program at the City Council’s request. Federal judge.
FOX News’ Kristin Parks contributed to this report.
