When Democratic Mayor Karen Bass was up for election this past November, one of the cornerstones of her campaign was the promise of getting rid of the homeless problem in LA. As of April 17th, she is ready to take this from a campaign promise to direct action in progress.
Setting her ambitions to blow through LA taxpayer money at a record pace, she is already committed to requesting $1.3 billion from the city. This massive number she claims will help get the homeless into shelters and treatment programs designed to help them become functioning members of society. To accomplish this, she is proposing a multi-move plan for the homeless.
First, she wants to buy up hotels and motels to convert to housing as the city looks through its property books for space that would be the most ideal for sheltering homeless people. She also wants some of these funds directed to providing beds for the homeless going through substance treatment programs. While she hesitated to put an exact figure of the number of beds needed for this program or any other, she is certain it will make a huge impact.
Yet, the icing on the cake is from the “Inside Safe” that gives the homeless hotel/motel rooms with a direct path to housing services. So far, this program has over 1,000 people enrolled and has been showing some promise. Given the number of homeless that cycle through programs just like this one, only to end up homeless again within a year, nowhere near enough time has passed to call the program a “success.”
Unveiling this plan during the annual address to the City Council about the state of the city, a micro-version of the State of The Union given to a joint session of Congress, she believes she is on the right track by giving things away. She also added that fellow Democrat and CA Governor Gavin Newsome would be providing 500 units of temporary housing, and President Biden is kicking in $200 million to the city and country-level programs for the homeless.
Bass spoke with the conviction of someone completely brainwashed by the liberal agenda. “After years of frustration … we can see a clearer path to a new Los Angeles…we have finally dispelled the myth that people do not want to come inside. They do.” She also admitted, “I cannot declare that the state of our city is where it needs to be.”
It’s noble for her to admit that the city still has a long way to go. Sadly, her inability to be honest with herself and the people of Los Angeles about how deeply their elected officials have failed them is disturbing. This kind of deception by omission isn’t what America is built on, nor is it how the problem gets fixed.
To truly get the homeless problem resolved she needs to first identify what is causing the problem with them. Let’s be honest here, for many it simply stems from prolonged drug use. Then you have those with mental health problems, which also make up a massive chunk of the people. Others still simply have no skills and as such the world has passed them by, and some simply just like the simplicity of being homeless. They enjoy having no responsibilities and simply don’t want to be saddled with that burden again.
With over 40,000 reported homeless people across the city, this is a monumental task. When broken down, the plan would equate to spending $32,500 per person to institute her will. While it would also represent a minor tax per taxpayer to make this happen, it is still an economic burden that nobody should reasonably expect to be saddled with.
