LOS ANGELES – Mayor Karen Bass today signed an Executive Directive launching Inside Safe, Los Angeles’ citywide proactive housing-led strategy to bring people inside from tents and encampments for good, and to prevent encampments from returning.
Mayor Bass is moving Los Angeles forward with an urgent and strategic approach to addressing the homelessness crisis, which also includes her Emergency Declaration on Homelessness, activating the City’s Emergency Operations Center, and issuing an Executive Directive to dramatically accelerate and lower the cost of affordable and temporary housing.
“We are shifting the way the city approaches homelessness, and the Inside Safe initiative represents a change in how we help and house people living in tents and encampments,” Mayor Bass said. “The new strategy on homelessness I am bringing to City Hall replaces quick fixes with real solutions. People should not be left to live and die on the streets because the city isn’t giving them someplace to go. Under my administration, we are giving people safe places to move inside, and we will ensure people can stay inside and safe for good.”
Inside Safe will assess street homelessness across Los Angeles and then proactively engage with people living in tents and encampments based on which locations are most chronic and where people are most in crisis.
Quick fixes are not solutions. Inside Safe is housing based – people will be offered immediate quality housing and a commitment of services and permanent housing so they can stay inside safe for good. The vast majority of people living on the street say “yes” to real offers of housing and support.
The Inside Safe Executive Directive reads as follows:
EXECUTIVE DIRECTIVE NO. 2
ISSUE DATE: DECEMBER 21, 2022
Subject: Inside Safe Initiative
INTRODUCTION
On December 12, 2022, my first day as Mayor of the City of Los Angeles, I issued a Declaration of Local Emergency regarding the crisis of homelessness that exists in the City of Los Angeles.
It is imperative that we immediately begin to move people living in encampments indoors. Once in interim housing, social service agencies will provide wrap-around care to each participant to transition those previously living in encampments into permanent housing, improve their wellbeing, and promote their stability. Such an effort will simultaneously enhance the safety and hygiene of our neighborhoods for all residents, businesses, and neighbors.
Accordingly, I am launching the City of Los Angeles Inside Safe Initiative. This initiative is a housing-focused solution to combating homelessness. All outreach and engagement efforts will be coupled with immediate interim housing and linkage to a permanent housing resource.
This effort is dependent on collaboration between the City and County of Los Angeles and our Social Service Providers. Therefore, I hereby direct the Mayor’s Chief of Housing and Homelessness Solutions to coordinate with:
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Emergency Management Department
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Social Service Providers
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People with lived experience of homelessness
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Los Angeles City Council
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Los Angeles County government
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All other appropriate City Departments
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Other key local, state, and federal government partners
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Experts in other sectors
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Community Organizations
This coalition will design and implement a strategy that effectively expands the Inside Safe model across the City of Los Angeles. Through this effort we will be able to bring thousands of Angelenos living on our streets into housing and on to the path to wellbeing and stability.
GOALS
Inside Safe will support the following five goals:
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Reduce the loss of life on our streets
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Increase access to mental health and substance abuse treatment for those living in encampments
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Eliminate street encampments
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Promote long-term housing stability for people experiencing homelessness
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Enhance the safety and hygiene of neighborhoods for all residents, businesses, and neighbors
This initiative will support and advance the following citywide outcomes:
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Decrease the number and size of encampments across the city
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Decrease the time of moving someone from an encampment into housing
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Increase interim and permanent housing placements
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Increase access to mental health care and substance use treatment for people experiencing homelessness
I hereby create the Inside Safe Initiative.
This initiative will be led by my Chief of Housing and Homeless Solutions and is comprised of a Cabinet including: the General Manager of the Emergency Management Department; the CEO of Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority; the Chief Administrative Officer; and the General Managers or their designees of the following City Departments:
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Department of Housing
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Department of Transportation
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Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles
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Department of Public Works
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Bureau of Engineering
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Bureau of Street Services
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Bureau of Sanitation
The Cabinet will also seek insight and expertise from lead Social Service Providers and relevant County Departments.
I direct the Cabinet to work closely in this effort with METRO, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Los Angeles World Airports, Los Angeles Port, state agencies, and Los Angeles County agencies that serve people experiencing homelessness.
I request all other City Departments, Bureaus, Agencies, Boards and Commissions to support the Cabinet as needed and to review all regulations and processes that may be hindering access to housing for people experiencing homelessness.
Inside Safe Action Plan:
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Create a strategy of large scale, citywide coordination
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Identify criteria and strategies for determining the highest need encampments across the city, especially focusing on encampments that are chronic and have a high demand for services
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Identify interim housing for each person in encampments
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Identify permanent housing resources for each person in encampments
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Assure that the Inside Safe Action Plan integrates equity principles in its design and implementation
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Consult with people who have lived experience of homelessness on development and implementation of all relevant strategies
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Centralize data collection on all relevant matters, including but not limited to encampments, needs surveys, housing availability, housing placements and retention, and designate a lead team to track progress
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Set metrics and benchmarks as indicated in my Emergency Declaration of December 12, 2022
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Create a unit acquisition strategy, including master leasing for both interim and permanent housing options
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Develop a comprehensive funding strategy that includes consideration of measure ULA
Finally, I direct the Cabinet to submit a report to the Mayor’s office on all items related to the Inside Safe Action Plan by March 31, 2023.