WASHINGTON, DC – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) Task Force on Homelessness yesterday 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.
“As Mayors on the front lines of the homelessness crisis, we know that the only way to solve the crises in our cities is to lock arms with the state and federal government as well as the private sector in order to make concrete change and bring more people inside,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “I look forward to seeing my fellow Mayors very soon back in DC as we continue to advocate for what the people of our cities deserve.”
Yesterday, 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.
“We know that homelessness is a national emergency and we thank President Biden for treating it like one,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “It will take all of us working together to confront this crisis nationwide, and I encourage everyone to join us during the count next week. I want to encourage all of you across the country to start this new year by helping out your community and making sure that all of our unhoused neighbors are counted, so that we can meet them where they are with the housing and services that they need and deserve.”
Participants in the USCM Task Force on Homelessness included Kate Gallego, Mayor of Phoenix; 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.