Facing an acute housing crisis and rising public anger over tents in public spaces, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday approved an ambitious goal of building 25,000 units of new housing for homeless people by 2025.
The hope is that the new construction will help the city relocate many of the people who live on sidewalks, freeway embankments and parks.
The last count, which took place before the COVID-19 pandemic, found about 41,000 homeless people within the L.A. city limits. Of them, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority estimates about 29,000 live on the streets or in cars. The rest are in shelters or other forms of temporary housing.
…It remains to be seen if the new goal will ease the affordable housing crisis plaguing the region and state. A recent report from the California Housing Partnership found that about 500,000 low-income renters don’t have access to affordable housing in Los Angeles County. Its report didn’t break out how many people lack affordable housing in Los Angeles but it underscores the profound need in the region…