LOS ANGELES – Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Bob Blumenfield today announced the newest Inside Safe operation, which concluded earlier today near the intersection of Canoga Avenue and Vanowen Street in Canoga Park. Inside Safe is an initiative that was launched to house Angelenos living in encampments and to 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.
“Our Inside Safe program continues to address encampments across the City and we are expanding to ensure that we can bring people inside from encampments of all sizes,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “Today’s operation further proves that people want to move inside and receive supportive services to start a new chapter of their lives. Thank you to Councilmember Blumenfield and the County and our service providers for helping us continue to provide much needed housing to Angelenos across the City.”
This is the 31st Inside Safe encampment operation in Los Angeles. The initiative is responsible for bringing more than 1,800 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.
“In preparation of the winter season, it was important to get our unhoused community members into motel rooms. The folks we were able to move indoors today considered themselves a family unit and were thrilled that they would be able to celebrate the holidays together, in an inside, safe, environment. Thank you to Mayor Bass and her team for diligently working with service providers to continue to offer life-saving housing to Angelenos." said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield.
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.
Inside Safe is one feature in a comprehensive strategy to confront the homelessness crisis. In total, more than 18,000 Angelenos have come inside during the first 11 months of the Bass administration through many different strategies including Inside Safe, which has now happened in 31 encampments around the city. The administration is focused on housing more people and also building housing faster – with more than 8,000 units of affordable housing expedited in the City of Los Angeles.