LA New Mayor Declares 'State of Emergency' on Homelessness Issue

LA's First Female Mayor Karen Bass: "Top Priority is a City Without Homeless"
Plan to Build Housing Facilities for 17,000 Homeless... Massive Funding Release

Homeless tents line the streets in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles, USA. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Sung-wook] Karen Bass (69), the newly appointed mayor of Los Angeles (LA), USA, declared a state of emergency on homelessness as her first official act.

According to CBS on the 12th (local time), Mayor Karen Bass announced at her inauguration ceremony held the day before, "Creating a city without homelessness is the top priority." Mayor Bass, a Democrat, is the first woman in LA's history and was elected last month after a close race against billionaire developer and Republican candidate Rick Caruso. Dozens of politicians, including Vice President Kamala Harris, former Attorney General of California, and California Governor Gavin Newsom, attended the inauguration.

Mayor Bass expressed her determination to solve the housing problem, stating that about 40,000 people in LA alone are living on the streets without homes. She said, "My first action as mayor is to declare a state of emergency on homelessness," adding, "We will forever strive to recognize the seriousness of the crisis and maximize ways to urgently move homeless people indoors." She revealed plans to build housing facilities capable of accommodating 17,000 homeless people within a year, saying, "We must build housing in every neighborhood," and added, "We cannot continue to keep places that are already full at full capacity."

California is already known to have spent trillions of won to address homelessness across the state. In April, LA announced it would invest $3 billion (about 3.924 trillion won) over the next five years to alleviate homelessness within its borders, but citizens pointed out that there has been no change in the numerous homeless tent villages on the streets, making this issue a pressing concern during the election period. Mayor Bass stated that funds would be released to solve the problem and emphasized, "To lead the city in a new direction, we must create a unified strategy that integrates the city and county and involves stakeholders from the state government, federal government, and private sector."

Not only LA but major cities across the United States are struggling with homelessness. According to the New York City Homeless Coalition, more than 60,000 people live in homeless shelters, a 50% increase compared to ten years ago. In response, New York City previously announced a tough policy to forcibly hospitalize homeless people showing signs of mental illness to address crime issues caused by the increase in homelessness. On the 29th of last month, New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared that homeless people showing signs of mental illness on the streets or subways would be hospitalized regardless of their consent. However, this has faced opposition from the city council, civic groups, and public interest lawyers citing human rights violations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.