LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin today proposed expanding two programs that he said have been successful at quickly housing people living on the streets.
Bonin submitted motions to expand “master leasing,” in which the city would purchase rental units to house people, and to increase the efforts of the “Encampment to Homes” project.
“The pathways into homelessness are big, varied and fast-moving. But the pathways out of homelessness are few, narrow and move far too slowly,” Bonin said. “We need to break the mold and embrace quicker, less expensive solutions or homelessness will continue to increase, encampments will continue to proliferate in our neighborhoods, and people will continue to die.”
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a master leasing program that has housed more than 7,000 people since 2014, according to Bonin's office.
The Encampments to Homes project, which was piloted in south Los Angeles last year, brought together various agencies to focus on selected homeless encampments to find available resources. The project housed 106 people, and nearly 93% of those who moved into a permanent unit remain successfully housed, according Bonin's office.
The motions will be heard in the City Council's Homeless and Poverty Committee.
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