In Los Angeles the growing number of homeless individuals and families is despairing. For people who walk through the neighborhoods, and others who drive through, there is a significant issue being noticed. The homeless population has increased more than 12 percent, and Skid Row is turning into an avenue of tents as the homeless seek shelter in numbers. Officials for the city are now stepping up to share some good news for those who are facing financial issues leading to homelessness.
Mayor Eric Garcetti sees his residents falling to ruin. On the lawn of City Hall homeless people sit in hopes for a change in their life. Garcetti called the growing homeless population a “symbol of our city’s intense crisis.”
The City Council is currently working on drafting an emergency fund, specifically for the homeless. Right now they are not sharing where the funds are coming from since the plan is still under review. The intention of the Council is to develop a $100 million fund to erect shelters, and permanent housing for the homeless. A bulk of the initial funds to be released, sometime in January 2016, will be to house the thousands of homeless vets.
The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans estimates around 50,000 vets are homeless on a nightly basis, across the country. This stems from a lack of a support system once a soldier returns home from war. The training embedded in the military is not necessarily transferable in the civilian working world, creating an increase in unemployment for vets, leading to homelessness.
For vets and other homeless people in LA, they face continued increased rents, and suffer the effects of the long recession.
A study completed earlier this year shows $100 million is spent annually in LA to tackle homelessness from law enforcement. This includes arrests and adding more officers to push homeless people away from buildings and public areas. This budget does not exist to help the homeless, an endeavor the mayor wants to see embraced and resolved immediately.
Interestingly enough, LA officials have been working diligently to make a bid for the Olympics 2024 to be hosted in the city. Many department leads believe the city is trying to save face, and do not have an intention to help the homeless, but rather make them invisible. The affordable housing fund which once sat at $100 million was reduced last year to $26 million. The Council is expected to finalize a draft to resolve the issues faced by the homeless population in December.
The LA Times published an infograph depicting the levels of homelessness in and around areas of LA.