LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn Calls For 'Urgency,' Prevention As Homeless Numbers Surge
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn says prevention may be key to tackling the region's growing homeless crisis.
The number of homeless people in Los Angeles County surged by 12 percent over the last year to nearly 59,000 living on the streets, according to data released Tuesday. Of that number, almost three-fourths of those people are sleeping in cars, tents and other makeshift shelters, according to the county's 2019 Biennial Homeless Count.
Hahn spoke to CBS2/KCAL9's Randy Paige about the county's efforts to turn the tide.
"It's not just a number. These really are, for me, people, faces, names, that are sleeping on our streets," she said, adding, "It looks to me, just from the first blush, that we need to put more money into prevention."
"I want some urgency to happen," Hahn added. "This is a crisis. We are in almost like a war."
In a series of reports this week, CBS2/KCAL9 spoke to individuals without homes. Some told stories of suffering from mental illness or substance abuse; others simply cannot afford to pay their rent.
They are like Darlene Gray, a nurse who's fallen on hard times and is now living in a tent in downtown Los Angeles; Neal, a network engineer injured in an accident who could no longer work and is living in an old R.V.; a mother-of-three with one on the way living with the county's help at a motel.
Despite a quarter-cent sales tax passed in 2017 that provides more than $400 million to deal with the crisis, an average of 17 more people like them become homeless each and every day.
There are victories, however. Last year, the county was able to double the amount of people placed in permanent homes. One of the possible solutions can be found on the campus of the United Methodist Church, where North Valley Caring Services, a non-profit, is putting together a resource house for the homeless.
