Krekorian Urges More Valley Services Amid Homelessness Growth

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles saw an uptick in homelessness over the last year, according to a new report from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

The results of the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, which was conducted in January 2016 with help of 7,500 volunteers, including District 2 staff, showed that homelessness in LA County increased 5.7 percent, from 44,359 individuals experiencing homelessness in 2015 to 46,874 in 2016. The survey area included the City of Los Angeles and neighboring areas of Glendale, Long Beach and Pasadena.

Earlier this year, city and county leaders voted to approve a comprehensive strategy to address the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles. The $1.85 billion plan to address homelessness will focus on subsidized housing and coordinated programs over the next decade to get LA's more than 25,000 homeless individuals off the streets.

Councilmember Krekorian, chair of the city's Budget and Finance Committee, is working to help increase services across the city through the budget process in order to address this important issue.

"The rising number of homeless people in our city is alarming, but not surprising. Homelessness is an acute crisis across the city and the county, and a significant and growing issue for the San Fernando Valley. This year, my staff worked very closely with LAHSA to make sure we achieved the most accurate count possible in the East Valley. We went with volunteers to every area of the district that we know homelessness to be an issue, which gave us a real way to assess the impact on the area. What we found was a significant increase over last year across the Valley."

Krekorian continued: "The numbers underscore that the Valley absolutely must get its fair share of funding for region-specific services to tackle this problem. I will keep fighting for our neighborhoods and working to get people off the streets and into jobs and affordable housing. We need to be sure that resources for addressing challenges from homelessness are not only focused on Skid Row, but in all parts of our city."

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