Putting quite a bit of money where their mouth is.
Tuesday’s city council meeting saw a heartening, unanimous vote to combat the area’s ballooning homeless issue.
The city’s plan is a parallel plan with L.A. County and commits almost $2 billion with a ‘B’ over the next decade to fund a comprehensive network of affordable housing, public restrooms and showers, and a city staff appointment to oversee the whole deal. The county’s plan is more oriented for the near future, but does still set aside $150 over the next two years.
Passage of the plan comes some five months after a public emergency was declared last September.
Los Angeles County’s homeless population rose 12% from 2013 to 2015 and more than half of the estimated 44,000 across the county fall within Los Angeles’ city limits.
City councilmember Jose Huizar called the passage of the plan “a historic moment for the city.” Saying, “For the first time in our recent memory, we have a comprehensive approach.”
Mayor Eric Garcetti backed that statement up, calling the plan “the highest priority that we have.” The mayor said the funding for the plan would be a combination of new appropriations and rearranging the allocation of existing funds.
The plan could not come soon enough, with officials predicting that this year’s numbers will be even higher, with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development citing the city’s rising rents and home prices pushing more and more toward homelessness.
More on the landmark homeless plan in LA, see here.