LOS ANGELES (Washington Insider Magazine) – Montgomery Garnett clutched his incense, softly hoping to persuade Los Angeles police officials that sitting on the pavement was not illegal.
Garnett, a Marine Corps veteran who now has lived on Skid Row for 17 years, said he burns incense as a gesture of gratitude to his homeless neighbors.
As local officials struggle to house the hundreds of people facing homelessness, inhabitants of Skid Row have long lived in squalor and neglect. Over the years, the situation has only worsened, spreading beyond the confines of Skid Row to urbanizing or upscale districts, where tents block sidewalks and homeless people seek safety in their cars.
As the problem spreads, local officials have devised a new approach to eradicate the ugly encampments, despite the fact that service providers warn that temporary and permanent housing for the region’s homeless population is in short supply.
The Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance this summer prohibiting those facing homelessness from camping in some outdoor areas, such as sidewalks and parks. The ordinance included a vow to take a “trauma-informed approach,” which included providing interim shelter and services to those in need.
Encampments were being removed by law enforcement authorities across the region even before the council passed the anti-camping ordinance.
In March, protesters and housing advocates argued with police as they attempted to evacuate a large settlement in Echo Park, a popular neighborhood near downtown, of tents and other items.
Los Angeles is a city in California. Throughout the summer, Sheriff Alex Villanueva was frequently seen working with deputies to clear campsites from the Venice Beach location, which is popular with visitors and rich homeowners.
In California and much of Los Angeles, where typical property prices are upwards of $900,000 as of this week, affordable homes have long been an issue, according to Zillow.
With this in consideration, De León, whose constituency includes Skid Row, has set a target of creating 25,000 housing units for the homeless by 2025. His administration broke construction on a fresh development in the Eagle Rock neighborhood in September, which would add 100 beds to the 117 tiny homes previously built in the Highland Park neighborhood nearby.
Los Angeles people, according to De León, have been “very generous” with their money in sponsoring these initiatives, but “the city can do so much better.”
