L.A. County announced it will provide 6,700 new beds in an effort to house the homeless population over 65 years old, in addition to those living in encampments near freeways. 

The agreement was signed by Judge David O. Carter, and is expected to be fulfilled over the next 18 months, or by the end of 2021. 

Judge Carter has made efforts before to shelter the homeless encampments near city freeways, as on May 15, when he ordered Los Angeles city and county to “humanely relocate” folks living within 500 feet of an overpass, underpass or ramp.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbating Los Angeles’ homeless crisis, it is imperative that we marshal our county and city resources to bring our most vulnerable neighbors indoors as expeditiously as possible,” Supervisor Ridley-Thomas said. “This is a new milestone in our partnership to ensure that everyone in Los Angeles has a life of dignity and worth.”

Earlier this week, we learned that the homeless population in Los Angeles spiked by 12.7 percent in 2019 with at least 66,433 unhoused Angelenos in the city and county.  

The Los Angeles City Council is currently putting together a post-pandemic housing plan for both Los Angeles city and county, and the California Council of Regional Homeless Advisors is working on a proposal for a Comprehensive Crisis Response Strategy for housing.

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