The Los Angeles City Council’s new homeless committee debuted on Thursday with members requesting for the city to provide showers, restrooms and emergency shelter to help impecunious people survive in the streets.
This was the committee’s inaugural meeting, and members also discussed developing transitional and bridge lodgings for homeless people while the individuals await permanent lodging and new storage facilities for their possessions and parking lots for those living in their vehicles.
In Los Angeles, analogous to other metropolitan areas, the indigent that inundate the streets have reached to severe levels. Homelessness is a persisting problem, and some dignitaries want this program to have perennial progress not just short-lived like other attempted initiatives. Bring L.A. Home!, a 2003 blue-ribbon committee, disappeared in a mire of delays, political maneuvering and disagreements. In addition, not one center was open after The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2006 approved five regional homeless centers in every part of the region. Wanting to produce gratifying results, Councilman Jose Huizar, the committee chairman, promised to send the full council a comprehensive homeless plan in six months.
One committee member, Councilman Mike Bonin, said, “we need to declare a state of emergency in homelessness.”
The Los Angeles Times cites, “the committee meeting followed the city Council’s vote Tuesday, approving a more aggressive tack in breaking up street encampments. Several speakers applauded the hygiene and expanded shelter proposals, which were referred to staff for study, but said new homeless sweeps should have waited until officials can expand storage, now limited to a single skid row warehouse.”
Huizar said, “but if possessions are illegally blocking the public right of way, we need to clear it up so everyone can use it.”
Curren Price, Felipe Fuentes and Gil Cedillo are the other committee members. We shall see if this program will differ from previous failed ventures.
SOURCE: LA TIMES
