In a bid to swiftly tackle the grip of homelessness gripping the city, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has announced a groundbreaking "Inside Safe" operation aimed at aiding individuals living in a sizeable RV encampment near Griffith Park. This initiative marks the first of its kind targeting such a community, previously assisted by tent-focused efforts. Yesterday, Mayor Bass proudly revealed the shepherding of over 21,000 Angelenos away from the streets this past year, a significant uptick compared to prior years, crediting aggressive new policies for this surge.
"We must work to address homelessness in all of its forms, including living on the streets in cars and RVs. Today, we took a step toward that goal with our first Inside Safe operation focused on helping people come inside from an RV encampment," Mayor Karen Bass stated in an announcement obtained by the mayor's office. Her robust strategy includes declaring a state of emergency, streamlining the creation of affordable and temporary housing, and leveraging city-owned property to maximize housing initiatives. This 33rd encampment operation under Inside Safe has successfully transitioned more than 1,900 individuals into safer living situations.
The complexity of RV encampments has presented unique challenges for the city, as per Councilmember Nithya Raman. In a statement by the mayor's office, she expressed that the capacity to manage these encampments exceeds what individual districts can handle, emphasizing the need for a coordinated citywide strategy. "Even though our office has successfully resolved many tent encampments across the district, the need to provide places where we can store RVs before they can be sold or disposed of safely is not within every council district's capacity," she explained, underscoring the importance of the mayor's support and the voluntary nature of this new operation.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger highlighted the collaborative efforts driving the success of these initiatives. "This work is being done thanks to the power of partnerships. It’s proof that when the City and County of Los Angeles lock arms, work together, and engage supportive partners like the ones here today, we can effectively tackle our homelessness crisis," Barger told the mayor's office. In tandem, Everytable, a mission-driven food company, has been providing nutritious meals as part of the wrap-around services supplied through Inside Safe, with CEO Sam Polk affirming their commitment to serving healthy meals with dignity during the transition from streets to housing.
Inside Safe furthers its mission through five key objectives, including reducing fatalities on city streets, enhancing access to mental health and substance abuse services, eliminating encampments, promoting lasting housing stability, and improving neighborhood safety and hygiene. Bass's administration remains focused on not just housing more individuals experiencing homelessness but also expediting the creation of over 9,000 units of affordable housing within the city.
