Posted on 05/04/2016 7:06:02 PM PDT by Hojczyk
Homelessness increased in the last year in the city and county of Los Angeles, leaving nearly 47,000 people in the streets and shelters despite an intensive federal push that slashed the ranks of homeless veterans by nearly a third, according to figures released Wednesday by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
Nearly two-thirds of the homeless people tallied countywide, or 28,000, were in the city of Los Angeles, representing an 11% jump in January from a year earlier, a report from the agency stated. The county's homeless population grew 5.7%.
The mayor's proposed budget earmarks $138 million for services as a down payment on a $1.87-billion homeless housing construction drive spelled out in the plan the city adopted this year. The homeless authority received federal aid totaling a record $99 million this week.
“We can bring these numbers down,” Garcetti said. “This could be the year that we begin to turn the tide.”
The county has budgeted $150 million for homeless programs, but county Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said, “If people think L.A. city or L.A. County can solve this, when all the economic forces are forcing people out of their houses, then think again.”
Critics said the city had ignored the severe housing shortage, as rents have soared and widespread gentrification has driven low-income people from their homes.
“The housing crisis for the very poor has only intensified, and the city has done nothing to address it,” said retired UCLA law professor Gary Blasi, who has studied homelessness for decades.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Glad the climate in north Texas is downright miserable three to five months of the year.
California is becoming Venezuela. Vote for more of that, Hitlarians and Berners. You fools.
/obviously not directed toward the OP or any Freeper
Sure. Veterans. Are they checking DD-214s?
Doubtful.
If you build it they will come.
We traveled to the Oregon coast a couple weeks ago and passed through Salem on the way. Many homeless tents in at least 3 locations that we passed. Kinda sickening.
I don't see any solution for years or decades to come.
Yet it is a liberal pipe-dream to force everyone to live in cramped, filthy mega-cities. It looks like reality has other plans.
BTW, I would not describe federal money as "free." That money comes from exactly the same place that state money comes from--the taxpayers. There is no free money.
“Panhandlers too. I mean, they are everywhere now. It’s like a zombie apocalypse. But since Obama’s president, the media has been reluctant to talk about it. After all, this is only supposed to happen when a Republican is president.”
The homeless/panhandlers are on every street corner of the downtown in my medium-size, “progressive” college town. The police can’t/won’t do anything unless someone reports “aggressive” panhandling, by which time a potentially dangerous confrontation has already occurred. It’s only a matter of time before a deadly altercation occurs.
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