The Los Angeles City Council will create a brand-new emergency fund of about $50 million to address its homelessness crisis.
Council members passed a motion Jan. 18 authored by interim council President Paul Krekorian to transfer city funds to a new emergency homeless response account—$26.5 million from the general fund and $23.5 million from what was previously set aside for COVID-19 response. The motion passed 13–0.
The funds would catapult LA Mayor Karen Bass’s Safe Inside Initiative pilot program, which seeks to evaluate citywide encampments and place homeless individuals into temporary and permanent housing.
The new account will make spending more quickly available for hotels, motels, staffing, outreach, meals, as well as permanent housing, according to city administrative officer Matt Szabo….