*Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wants wealthy residents to fund a new homelessness campaign.
NBC News reports that Bass unveiled the LA4LA campaign, an initiative to facilitate funding for affordable housing. On Monday, she expressed the need for contributions from corporate executives and philanthropic groups to purchase properties for the homeless.
“LA4LA can be a sea change for Los Angeles – an unprecedented partnership to confront this emergency,” Bass said. “An example of disrupting the status quo to build a new system to save lives.”
Darci Niva, CEO of Westside Coalition, highlighted the growing trend of seniors facing eviction due to rising rents in the city. The senior population in Los Angeles is anticipated to surpass 1 million by 2030.
California Homelessness (Apu Gomes-AFP-Getty Images)
“If they’re giving all that they have, we just hope that those that have an abundance of money would contribute,” Niva said of the mayor’s new program. “That would help us tremendously.”
According to NBC News, the Westside Coalition represents 80 government, social service, and faith-based agencies that address housing, hunger, and health. Niva said the mayor’s new campaign will require a collective effort.
“We need everyone at the table,” she said.
According to NBC News, Bass will disclose further specifics about her homelessness plan later this week, highlighting business leaders who have pledged support.
We reported earlier via CNN that some 40,000 people live on the streets in LA County. Bass previously stated that “too many Angelenos have no choice but to crowd multiple families into one home and to work multiple jobs just to barely pay rent.”
She continued, “Tragically, our city has earned the shameful crown as being home to the most crowded neighborhoods in the nation — Pico Union, South L.A., East L.A., the East Valley,” she added. “And Angelenos, we know our mission — we must build housing in every neighborhood.”
Bass has pledged to utilize her connections within the Biden administration to address issues such as the need for additional federal housing vouchers.
READ MORE: New LA Mayor Karen Bass to Declare State of Emergency on Homelessness | VIDEO
The post LA Mayor Calls on Affluent Residents to Support New Homelessness Initiative | Video appeared first on EURweb.
