Even though Mayor Eric Garcetti declared an emergency shelter crisis last year and launched the Bridge Home initiative, the homeless still left on the streets say it is not enough.
The new shelter in Hollywood houses 72 people, a good start but a far cry from the thousands of people still living on the streets without a roof over their head. Those that did not get a spot in the shelter are also being forced to move from Hollywood as the city gets stricter about tent encampments on sidewalks.
Khristoffer Benford, who lives on the streets, told CBS LA, “Now you built the shelter, you put everyone you are going to put in there — filled it from wall to wall. Now everybody who’s left you are going to harass them to [do] what?” “So now everybody left the district of Hollywood. ‘Oh we cleaned Hollywood up!’ No they just left the district of Hollywood and now they are in someone else’s district and it’s still a homeless problem,” he said.
One woman who scored a spot at the Hollywood Bridge Home said they feed them three times a day and are interested in their careers, music and talents.
The City of Los Angeles plans to open several more Bridge Home shelters in the next few years, remaining open for three years.