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View Winners → Impact May 11, 2023
Mayor Karen Bass speaks with an unhoused Angeleno. | Photo courtesy of the city of Los Angeles
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavksy announced Wednesday that an Inside Safe operation is underway on San Vicente Boulevard near the Beverly Grove area to address a homeless encampment that had stirred concerns among residents.
“I’m proud to partner with Councilwoman Yaroslavsky in bringing the Angelenos who had been living outside on San Vicente Boulevard inside,” Bass said in a statement. “Inside Safe is a real solution that proves there is hope in Los Angeles. Together, we will confront this crisis by brining unhoused Angelenos inside for good.”
The homeless encampment on San Vicente Boulevard between Wilshire and La Cienega boulevards garnered the attention of the mayor after nearby residents expressed their frustration and safety concerns. Yaroslavsky, who represent the 5th District, where the encampment lies, previously said there were not enough beds in the area to provide housing for those inhabitants.
Yaroslavksy said Wednesday’s Inside Safe operation was the product of months of coordination and focus to bring the provide shelter to the homeless individuals. In a statement, Yaroslavsky said she was grateful to the mayor and her team for their leadership in confronting the city’s homelessness crisis.
The mayor introduced Inside Safe as a citywide strategy to bring people inside from tents and encampments with the intention of preventing encampments from returning. The mayor says that within 100 days, more than 1,000 Angelenos have been brought inside through the program.
Inside Safe aims to reduce the loss of life on the city’s streets, increase access to mental health and substance abuse treatment for unhoused individuals, eliminate street encampments, promote long-term housing for unhoused individuals and enhance the safety and hygiene of neighborhoods, according to the mayor’s office.
In addition, the mayor’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2024-25 includes $250 million to scale Inside Safe citywide. As part of Bass’ strategy to address the homelessness crisis she has called a state of emergency, and the mayor has worked to accelerate development and lower the cost of affordable and temporary housing and to maximize the use of city-owned property for temporary and permanent housing.
