During her annual State of the City address, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged wealthy residents to step up and help provide housing for the over 40,000 homeless people across town via a new campaign, known as LA4LA.
The Democrat said that while the public sector was unified in its mission to end the crisis, it was time the private sector exhibited “humanity and generosity.”
“For too long, Angelenos have been failed by quick fixes and unhoused people just being shuffled around,” Bass began. “Angelenos deserve real solutions, and that means a Sea Change in the way LA approaches homelessness. This means committing to the goal of preventing and ending homelessness — not hiding — not managing — but ending homelessness.”
She went on to note that the city is “working to move past nightly room rentals,” and instead focusing on “master leasing and purchasing motels and hotels,” and building permanent housing.
“Now we are asking the most fortunate Angelenos to participate in this effort with personal, private sector and philanthropic funds,” Bass continued, “to help us acquire more properties, lower the cost of capital and speed up housing.”
She attempted to woo money-minded individuals by pointing out that, “beyond the human toll, we all pay the cost of the thousands and thousands of fire, paramedic and police calls … the cost to shops and restaurants whose customers stay away out of fear, the cost when tourists don’t come to visit, the cost when offices and their employees leave downtown.”
