News from Councilmember Paul Krekorian September 13, 2022:
The results of the 2022 Homeless Count are in, and we have some good news to report. Here in the Second District, the number of people living unsheltered on our streets was down by 34 percent.
Countywide, the overall homeless count was up by just a few percentage points over the 2020 count. That modest increase was much less than what many expected. In light of those overall results, it is especially gratifying that in my district we have reduced unsheltered homelessness by more than a third in just two years.
We are seeing great progress in the Second District in large measure because of the housing interventions we’ve built and the actions we’ve taken over the last two years, including:
- Building three Tiny Homes cabin communities, including the the first in the city
- Building two additional shelters, including the first “A Bridge Home” project in the San Fernando Valley
- Building the city’s first Homeless Services Navigation Center, to help unhoused individuals access housing, counseling, jobs programs and other services
- Arranging for the City to purchase a hotel in the district that has been converted to permanent housing
But we’re not done there. Since the ultimate solution to homelessness has to be permanent housing, we’re pushing forward with six additional permanent supportive housing projects that are now in construction or development. By November 2024, District 2 will have more than 500 units of permanent supportive housing.
My team is in the district every day, helping the unhoused to move to cleaner, safer accommodations. Last week, we moved 14 people from the street to our Tiny Homes in a single day.
I believe the city needs to take a balanced approach, recognizing the needs of both the unhoused and the larger community. In addition to the extensive work we’ve done to build housing and shelter resources and provide services, last year I authored revisions to Section 41.18 of the City’s Municipal Code that will allow the city to prohibit encampments in sensitive areas and those that present a particular danger to public safety.
Because of our approach, after the Council passed the 41.18 revisions, I was able to marshal the necessary resources to remove the two most notorious and violent sites in the district. This had nothing to do with “enforcement” or “sweeps” or “criminalizing homelessness” as some falsely contend. The freeway underpasses at Lankershim and at Moorpark were cleared after extensive outreach, and after many of those who were residing there were provided shelter. There has not been a single arrest or citation for violation of Section 41.18.
This year’s homeless count proves that there are solutions to homelessness that work. The challenge cannot be solved overnight, but the numbers show that in our district we are pursuing solutions that work and we are seeing real results.
Very truly yours,
PAUL KREKORIAN
Councilmember, Second District