WASHINGTON, DC – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass today greeted President Joe Biden after he addressed mayors from across the country. Earlier, Mayor Bass met with White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients and Steve Ricchetti, Counselor to the President of the United States about a range of issues including maximizing resources for Los Angeles during the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as continued collaboration to address the homelessness crisis.
“I want to thank President Biden for his continued support as we work together to lift up the second largest city in the nation,” said Mayor Bass. “During my first year in office, the White House helped us bring thousands of unhoused Angelenos inside, protect our climate with new federal resources, and provided support as we recovered from a disastrous fire that closed the 10 freeway. I look forward to continuing this unprecedented partnership for the people of Los Angeles.”
Mayor Bass and the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) Task Force on Homelessness this week called on Americans to participate in the upcoming homeless Point-in-Time Count and announced an upcoming national path to bring more people inside by advocating for additional housing vouchers, increased project-based voucher flexibility to build more permanent supportive housing and expanded eligibility to ensure our unhoused veterans are not left behind. The announcement followed a standing room only USCM Homelessness Task Force meeting focused on advancing federal legislative, regulatory and budgetary action on this important issue.
Mayors and representatives from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness made a national call for people across the country to participate in next week's Point-in-Time Count. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires a biennial point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness across the United States and in Los Angeles. The count will take place on January 23, 24 and 25. For those who frequently ask how they can help address homelessness, participating in the count is a great way to get involved. Angelenos can visit theycountwillyou.org to sign up.
Participants in the USCM Task Force on Homelessness included Kate Gallego, Mayor of Phoenix; Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum, CEO, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority; Anthony Love, Principal Advisor and Director of Community Engagement, Veteran Health Administration Homeless Programs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Jeff Olivet, Executive Director, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness; Richard Cho, Senior Advisor for Housing and Services at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and Philip Mangano, President and CEO of The American Roundtable to Abolish Homelessness. The Task Force meeting builds on work done last November when Los Angeles hosted a national convening on homelessness for the U.S. Conference of Mayors that raised momentum on this issue by building on a national strategy to combat homelessness.