Homelessness in Los Angeles continues to be an intolerable crisis situation, but 2021 has seen notable progress in housing those who are unsheltered and reclaiming order and hygiene in our neighborhoods. In 2021, Councilmember Krekorian opened three temporary tiny home cabin communities to provide interim shelter for people experiencing homelessness.
February: Tiny home village at Chandler -- the first community of its kind in Los Angeles -- opens with 75 beds
April: Tiny home village at Alexandria Park opens with 200 beds
September: Tiny home village at Whitsett West opens with 150 beds
With the addition of these three new cabin communities, together with the two congregate bridge housing sites previously opened and a hotel the city purchased through Project Homekey, Councilmember Krekorian has now produced enough new shelter capacity to accommodate as many people as were living unsheltered in the district as of the last homeless count.
In September, the revised Section 41.18 of Municipal Code co-authored by Councilmember Krekorian took effect, empowering the city to remove hazardous street encampments and prohibit street camping in sensitive areas.
In September, with pandemic-related restrictions lifted and funding restored, CARE (Cleaning and Rapid Engagement) and CARE Plus teams resumed weekly cleanups of trash and debris surrounding street encampments. CARE Plus teams are also accompanied by representatives of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), who assist those living in the encampments with finding safer shelter and other services. As a result, hundreds of people who were unhoused in our community have found shelter and services in the facilities Councilmember Krekorian has built, and many notorious encampments that have frustrated district residents for years have been completely cleared.