21K unhoused Angelenos moved inside since last December

More than 21,000 Angelenos were moved inside since December 2022, thousands more than last year, in due part to new and urgent strategies to reduce homelessness, Mayor Karen Bass announced Wednesday.

Additionally, Bass confirmed more than 9,000 units of affordable housing are being accelerated as a result of her executive directive to streamline their development. According to her office, the mayor has established a more “accountable” system by cutting red tape and removing bureaucratic barriers to bring more unhoused Angelenos inside.

“Since the first day when I declared a state of emergency, we have confronted the homelessness crisis with absolute urgency,” Bass said in a statement. “We have brought thousands inside and will continue to improve our operations to reduce the amount of people who have fallen back into homelessness and better protect those who are housed but potentially on the verge.”

She added, “Though we are proud of our progress, there is still more work to be done. It’s a new day in Los Angeles and our momentum will not stop.”

According to data from intergovernmental agencies, more than 21,000 Angelenos have come inside to temporary housing as of Nov. 30 — a nearly 5,000 person increase from 2022. The data is broken down into the following:

• 1,951 Angelenos were moved inside as part of the mayor’s Inside Safe initiative;
• 1,332 unhoused individuals were moved inside Tiny Homes;
• 1,398 unhoused individuals were moved into Homekey Interim Units;
• 2,934 unhoused individuals were moved into A Bridge Home shelters;
• 1,977 unhoused individuals were moved through the Roadmap Interim Housing;
• 4,088 unhoused individuals were moved into Family Shelters;
• 2,243 unhoused individuals were moved through the county’s Department of Health Services and Department of Mental Health Interim Housing;
• 7,717 Angelenos came inside through housing vouchers, an increase of 2,500 people compared to 2022; and
• 3,551 Angelenos came inside to permanent housing communities, an increase of 2,190 people compared to 2022.

As a result of the mayor’s Inside Safe initiative, 32 encampments have been cleared from city streets, according to the mayor’s office. More than 1,900 Angelenos have voluntarily accepted Inside Safe interim housing thus far with higher retention rates than other interim housing programs in the city.

More than 503,460 lbs of waste has also been removed during Inside Safe operations.

Bass made a promise to house 17,000 Angelenos during her first year in office.

According to a report from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, as of Nov. 10, the mayor’s Inside Safe initiative entered 1,939 unhoused individuals in to interim housing, 255 are currently permanently housed, 1,314 are interim housing and 370 individuals exited the program.

In a separate report from Matthew Szabo, city administrative officer, dated Nov. 22, a total of $67.3 million has been expended for costs related to homelessness in the 2023-24 fiscal year.

Earlier this year, the L.A. City Council approved $250 million for the mayor’s Homelessness Emergency Account, a funding account for Inside Safe and other costs related to the homelessness crisis.

The announcement is part of Bass’ weeklong tour of Los Angeles during which she plans to hold various events highlighting her work on homelessness, safety, business, climate and city services — ahead of the first anniversary of her Dec. 11 inauguration. Wednesday’s events were intended to highlight Bass’ actions to address the city’s homeless crisis, according to her office.

Bass held a news conference Wednesday morning with officials from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in Boyle Heights. The mayor also hosted a roundtable with reporters and senior members of her Office of Homelessness and Housing Solutions.

Bass will be in Watts on Thursday to discuss public safety and attend a Community Intervention Workers graduation, following a speaking event with a class of LAPD recruits.

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