(TheRedAlertNews.com) – Amidst the escalating crisis of the homeless population, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has issued a controversial plea to the city’s wealthy residents. She urged them to step forward and contribute funds for the acquisition of properties to accommodate the city’s homeless and alleviate their situation.
Fox News reported Bass’s statement:
“Right now, we’re working to move past nightly rentals. We are asking the most fortunate Angelenos to participate in this effort, with personal, private sector, and philanthropic funds, to help us acquire more properties, lower the cost of capital, and speed up housing.”
Moreover, the Democrat added that the new capital mission would be LA4LA, which consists of “humanity and generosity of the private sector.
She emphasized that LA4LA could be a major change for the City of Angels, an extraordinary partnership to confront the city’s emergency and an example of disrupting the status quo to build a new system to save lives.
“We will not hide people but what we will do is house people,” Bass said. “The crisis on our streets is nothing less than a disaster.”
Moreover, billions of dollars have been spent on homelessness in the region, and an array of new programs are in place.
But the mayor said it was possible that the number of homeless people will continue to increase, in part because of evictions and the end of COVID-19 aid for low-income households.
According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), the city’s leading centralized hub for homeless services, more than 75,500 people were considered homeless in 2023, a 9% increase countywide.
Despite prior efforts to levy taxes on L.A. residents for homeless housing and services, such as a sales tax increase and a new tax on home sales exceeding $5 million, the issue persists.
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