On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Story Is,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass responded to a report that 40% of the people in her homelessness program left by saying that 60% did remain housed and that “is a great percentage.” She added that having 40% leave is “concerning” and “we don’t know that 40% left to go on the streets. We don’t know where they are. The bottom line is, they left interim housing” and we need to know what happened with that group.
Host Elex Michaelson asked, “[O]ne of the concerns that we hear around the country is about homelessness. And there was a report in the LA Times just this week that talked about your signature program, called Inside Safe, which is to get people inside safe. And it said, a 300-million-dollar program, and 40% have returned to the streets. These are people that were part of the program, and then they’re no longer part of the program, they’re back on the streets. Some people say that that’s a failure. What do you say to that?”
Bass answered, “Well, I say several things: First of all, 60% of the people have remained housed. But you know me, and we’ve been on this journey –.”
Michaelson then cut in to say, “That’s not a great percentage.”
Bass responded, “Well, it is a great percentage. We’ve been on this journey together. And the reason why I ran was because we needed change in this city. What was happening in the city was just completely unacceptable. The city had adhered to a rigid policy that said, stay on the streets, basically, until we build you something. I came in and said, it is unacceptable to have Angelenos on the street. You know that I came into a system that had been broken for over three decades. But you know that I’ve felt the sense of urgency to get people off the street. So what I did was move to get people off the street, which we have succeeded in. We’ve resolved over 120 encampments. So, for the first time, we’ve had, two years in a row, a 17% reduction in street homelessness, where, nationally, it’s been an 18% increase. But you also know that I’ve been trying to diagnose and transform the system at the same time. But one thing that the city and the county never did was really properly evaluate the system to see what is working and what isn’t working. So, for example, we don’t know that 40% left to go on the streets. We don’t know where they are. The bottom line is, they left interim housing. And I can give you lots of –.”
Michaelson then cut in to ask, “It’s pretty concerning isn’t it?”
Bass answered, “Of course, it’s concerning, but you’ve also heard me, over the last three years, say that one of the fundamental weaknesses in the system was it was inadequate services. So, you’re not addressing the substance abuse, the mental health, and the other reasons that led to homelessness. So, I did bring on a team to evaluate what is working, because, of course, I want to know, first of all, where those 40% went, why they left. But I also want to know why the 60% stayed. And so, if we’re going to transform the system, like I want to see done, then we need to have this information. But the system was not designed to evaluate itself.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.