Hope At Last for L.A. Skid Row Residents! But… There’s a Problem
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t last, Skid Row residents have something to smile about- a home! After so long, their dreams can finally be! But there’s a problem. The judge ordered the entire Skid Row population to be housed by mid-October, and while that is a bold move, how do you move such a huge population in homes in a county with housing challenges? Where do you put all these people? Who will pay for it? How will it solve the homelessness crisis in L.A.? Chances are, due to the mental health issues in most of these residents, they may relocate to another neighborhood. How do you prevent that from happening?
“All of the rhetoric, promises, plans, and budgeting cannot obscure the shameful reality of this crisis — that year after year, there are more homeless Angelenos, and year after year, more homeless Angelenos die on the streets,” Carter wrote in the ruling.
Carter further indicated that once enough shelter has been offered to the homeless people in Skid Row, he would allow the city to enforce laws that keep streets and sidewalks free of tents only if they remain consistent with previous legal rulings that have restrained the enforcement of such rulings. Judge Carter also directed the county to offer ”support services to all homeless residents who accept the offer of housing”,
123rf.com
The Ruling. According to the ruling by Judge David O. Carter, L.A. city and county wrongly paid more attention to permanent housing at the expense of more temporary shelter, “knowing that massive development delays were likely while people died in the streets.”
In 2020 alone, more than 1300 homeless people died in L.A. County.
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The Power Is Now Magazine | JUNE 2021
