LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass this week addressed an encampment near the Ramón C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts in Downtown Los Angeles and an encampment in Van Nuys near the Van Nuys Airport and Golf Course, bringing more people off the street and into housing. See photos and b-roll from the operations here.
“This week’s Inside Safe operations in Downtown Los Angeles and Van Nuys continue our work to address the homelessness crisis, save lives and connect participants with housing and supportive services,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “These efforts brought unhoused Angelenos inside and restored community space for students and businesses. Thank you Councilmember Hernandez and Councilmember Padilla for your partnership as we continue to urgently house Angelenos.”
“This week’s Inside Safe proves again that a Housing First approach is the solution to our homelessness crisis,” said Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez. “I am grateful to Mayor Bass for her leadership as we work together to bring people off the streets and into safe, sustainable housing solutions.”
“This week’s Inside Safe operation in Van Nuys exemplifies the power of collaboration between city and county partners. We are proud to continue working alongside Mayor Bass to bring people experiencing homelessness in CD6 inside, providing them with safety and stability,” Councilmember Imelda Padilla said. “As we face the challenges of homelessness, our commitment to finding solutions with the mayor and our partners remains steadfast, ensuring that every resident has the opportunity for a brighter future.”
Since her first day in office when she declared an unprecedented emergency on the homelessness crisis, Mayor Karen Bass has driven change in how we address homelessness with new initiatives to bring people living in encampments inside. She has also worked to prevent people from losing their homes and to lock arms across all levels of government to move people inside and save lives and restore neighborhoods.
Key results from the 2024 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count:
Homelessness in the City of Los Angeles is down for the first time in six years.
Unprecedented drop in street homelessness (10% decrease in the City of Los Angeles – the first double digit decrease in the last at least 9 years).
A decrease in makeshift shelters (38% decrease in the City of Los Angeles).
The number of people who moved into permanent housing is at an all time high.
Tent encampments have come down in every council district, and thousands more Angelenos came inside than in 2022 thanks to action locking arms with the City Council, County and LAHSA. The mayor has worked to improve services provided for unhoused Angelenos coming inside and has also been vocal about the need to make homelessness programs more cost effective as this urgent work continues.