Mayor Bass Issues Statement on Point in Time Count

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LOS ANGELES - Mayor Karen Bass today issued the following statement:

"For two years straight, we drove down homelessness by historic margins - but as expected, last year our efforts ultimately couldn't keep up with policies and funding cuts at the federal and state levels that pushed more people onto the streets.

"The Trump Administration has driven up the cost of gas, groceries, and rent - pushing more families to the edge - and slashed critical safety net funding. And, last year's 50% cut in state HHAP funding from $1 billion to $500 million - resulting in a $70 million hit to L.A. city alone - severely impacted our work to keep people housed and get more Angelenos off the streets.

"We raised philanthropic dollars to help supplement the cuts, and this year I fought alongside other mayors to reverse these cuts, restoring it to $900 million.

"The lack of adequate services provided by L.A. County continues to be a real problem and a contributing factor to people cycling in and out of homelessness.

"Despite these headwinds, we have reduced homelessness in Los Angeles by 11% since 2023 - placing tens of thousands of Angelenos in interim housing, moving 6,000 people off the streets through Inside Safe, and housing more than 1,000 homeless veterans.

"We declared a homelessness state of emergency on day one, addressed 130 encampments, and helped keep 85,000 people in their homes through eviction defense. We're doubling down on what works.

"But we also have to be clear-eyed about what's not working. For thirty years, this city has run its homeless response through LAHSA - and audits and the courts have now made plain what too many Angelenos already saw: the money wasn't tracked, providers went unpaid, and public trust eroded. I'm not going to defend a broken system. The City must build something better - results-driven, transparent, and centered around the people we're trying to help, not the bureaucracy.

"This crisis was ignored by city leaders for decades, it's only now that we've seen a historic decline. I will never stop fighting until we end street homelessness, because no Angeleno should be sleeping on the street."