California Construction News staff writer
Last week’s “Point-in-Time” count is an important step to bring more people inside means advocating for additional housing vouchers, increased project-based voucher flexibility to build more permanent supportive housing and expanded eligibility to ensure our unhoused veterans are not left behind, says Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
The count was launched followed a standing room only USCM Homelessness Task Force meeting focused on federal legislative, regulatory and budgetary action.
“As Mayors on the front lines of the homelessness crisis, we know that the only way to solve the crises in our cities is to lock arms with the state and federal government as well as the private sector in order to make concrete change and bring more people inside,” Bass said. “I look forward to seeing my fellow Mayors very soon back in DC as we continue to advocate for what the people of our cities deserve.”
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires a biennial point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness across the United States and in Los Angeles.
The count took place on January 23, 24 and 25.
“We know that homelessness is a national emergency and we thank President Biden for treating it like one,” Bass said. “It will take all of us working together to confront this crisis nationwide.”
The USCM task force meeting builds on work done last November when Los Angeles hosted a national convening on homelessness for the U.S. Conference of Mayors that raised momentum on this issue by building on a national strategy to combat homelessness.
