Mayor Garcetti calls 28th Street Apartments “inspiration”
Neighborhood councils discuss solutions for homelessness crisis
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s goal to build 15,000 new affordable apartments does not come too soon in light of the City’s staggering 23 per cent increase in homelessness in the last year. As part of his commitment to address Los Angeles’s homelessness crisis, in April Mayor Garcetti brought a group of over 40 neighborhood council representatives to tour CBH’s 28th Street Apartments and learn about best practices in permanent supportive housing.
The tour highlighted 28th Street as a model for what works, and how successful permanent, affordable housing, with on-site social services, is a key component in decreasing homelessness in LA. During the tour, neighborhood council representatives from all over Los Angeles discussed the on-site wraparound services available to assist residents and the positive impact on the surrounding neighborhood. Participants also discussed the obstacles our communities need to tackle to create more affordable homes, such as land use constraints and high construction costs.
During the event, Mayor Garcetti rallied the council representatives stating, “homelessness is the defining moral issue of our time….the city is undeniably strong. Record jobs. Record investment. Record visitors…but we’re not completely strong until we have a city with no encampments.” The Mayor called 28th Street an inspiration for more quality, affordable homes in LA.
The 28th Street tour was part of the Neighborhood Council Civic University, a non-credit certificate program that trains neighborhood council members to achieve their mission and expand their influence at City Hall. Commenting on the event, Grayce Liu, General Manager of the LA Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, wrote, “I think our graduates leave with a lot of energy to support efforts citywide to end homelessness.”