LOS ANGELES – Mayor Karen Bass announced that the newest Inside Safe operation in Koreatown and surrounding areas, including near Virgil Middle School, concluded yesterday. The operation, which focused on four different clusters of encampments, brought more than 100 unhoused Angelenos inside.
Inside Safe is an initiative that was launched to house Angelenos living in encampments and prevent encampments from returning. This citywide, voluntary approach leads with housing and services and is one feature in a comprehensive strategy to confront the homelessness crisis.
“The number one priority of my administration is bringing Angelenos inside, and this week, in partnership with the City and County, we were able to bring more than 100 Angelenos inside and restore communities,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “We will continue to do everything we can to confront this crisis with the urgency it deserves. I want to thank Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, Councilmember Heather Hutt, LAHSA, the County, LAUSD and service partners for their partnership and support.”
"We've been working for months to bring people from this encampment off the streets and into housing with the services they need, and we are proud to lock arms with Mayor Bass to make it happen,” said Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez.
“Mayor Bass is creating long term solutions to solve our City’s crisis with homelessness; and I look forward to continuing our collaboration to get as many of our unhoused sheltered as quickly and safely as possible.” said Councilmember Heather Hutt.
"By working together across local jurisdictions, we are preventing our unhoused residents from getting pushed from one community to another and instead focusing on providing the vital support they need to get housed. I am proud that the County joined the City of Los Angeles in declaring homelessness an emergency and to see Inside Safe and the County's Pathway Home initiative reaching more residents” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. “Our work is far from done. This initiative represents just one piece of our on-going efforts to address the homelessness crisis that reaches our shared constituency. Collaboration is essential to ending this crisis and I look forward to continuing to work with Mayor Bass, LA City and our community partners."
“While housing affordability remains a concern that impacts the entire Los Angeles community, I commend Mayor Bass and her administration for the urgent and humane approach they have taken to confront the homelessness crisis. The Inside Safe operation next to Virgil Middle School is a testament that we all share a commitment to addressing safe passage concerns expressed by the school community,” said Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho.
This is the 28th Inside Safe encampment operation in Los Angeles. The initiative is responsible for bringing more than 1,600 Angelenos inside. Mayor Bass is moving Los Angeles forward with an urgent and strategic approach to confronting the homelessness crisis, which includes declaring a state of emergency, taking action to dramatically accelerate and lowering the cost of building affordable and temporary housing, moving to maximize the use of City-owned property for temporary and permanent housing and cutting through red tape to move people into permanent housing.
Inside Safe supports the following five goals:
Reduce the loss of life on our streets
Increase access to mental health and substance abuse treatment for those living in encampments
Eliminate street encampments
Promote long-term housing stability for people experiencing homelessness
Enhance the safety and hygiene of neighborhoods for all residents, businesses, and neighbors
Read the Inside Safe Executive Directive here.