Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom Collaborate To Bring Unhoused Angelenos Inside From Freeway Encampment

En Español

한국어

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass today announced that Inside Safe, in partnership with Council President Marqueece Harris Dawson, and Governor Gavin Newsom's State Action for Facilitation on Encampments (SAFE) Task Force, brought 40 Angelenos inside from a longstanding encampment in South LA. Under and along the 110 Freeway, this encampment presented safety concerns and impacted the quality of life of the neighborhood. Photos and b-roll of the operation available here.

"Through more than 100 operations, Inside Safe has brought thousands of Angelenos inside from long-standing encampments across the city," said Mayor Karen Bass."We are seeing real results in LA - with street homelessness declining two years in a row - and partnerships like this only continue that momentum. Together, we will end this humanitarian crisis."

"No one should live in a dangerous or unsanitary encampment, and we will continue our ongoing work to ensure that everyone has a safe place to call home," said Governor Gavin Newsom. "We stand strongest when we stand together - today, we are proud to work with our partners in Los Angeles to pair urgency with dignity and get people the help they need and deserve. California has built a strong system to address homelessness, and it is helping us turn this nationwide crisis around."

"Today's Inside Safe operation demonstrates the importance of partnerships between local and state governments," said Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson. "The collective resolve to bring our unhoused neighbors has tangible results that change the lives of individuals and our communities."

On her first day in office, Mayor Bass declared a state of emergency to urgently get people off the streets. Her signature initiative Inside Safehas brought thousands of people inside and resolved more than 100 often entrenched and longstanding encampments in every council district in the city. By breaking with the status quo, Mayor Bass has spearheaded needed policy changes that are preventing people from being housed, is accelerating the building of more than 30,000 units of affordable housing, advanced innovating housing solutions through LA4LA and is keeping people from falling into homelessness in the first place through a research-proven anti-eviction program led by the Mayor's Fund.

This year's Point in Time Count results show:

• Homelessness reported to have declined for two years in a row in L.A. for the first time.
• Street homelessness reduced by 17.5% since Mayor Bass took office in December of 2022. This is the largest decrease over two years since the Point in Time Count began in 2005.
• The number of makeshift shelters, tents, cars, vans and RVs declined for a second time in a row, down 13.5%.
• Permanent housing placements in Los Angeles City are at an all-time high.

Mayor Bass' progress to save lives and reduce homelessness is measurable and visible. Earlier this month, the RAND Corporation released its annual report showing a 49% decline in the number of people experiencing street homelessness in Hollywood from last year to the year prior, drawing a connection to the work of Mayor Bass' Inside Safe program. The report also showed a decrease in Venice. Inside Safe has conducted more than a dozen operations in the Hollywood area and monitors all locations to continue bringing people inside from those sites. In 2024, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority released the results showing the first decrease in homelessness in Los Angeles City for the first time in years - bucking nationwide and statewide trends.