A California city has voted to vacate and ban tents for the homeless as several sidewalks in the area are flooded.
Culver City officials voted three-to-two Monday to shut down tents and other structures — and the change will go into effect as more housing models for the homeless become available, including a Project Room Key site and a designated homeless area on the Virginia Parking Lot .
Culver City Councilman Dan O’Brien claimed officials needed to act quickly because neighboring city of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass last year pledged to help over 17,000 homeless people in its first year through a mix of temporary and permanent housing arrangements bring to .
“My concern is that if we don’t have all the resources to help our own homeless, and Los Angeles already has enforcement along our borders, then those who refuse housing will just cross the road into Culver City and then continue to incriminate.” our resources,” O’Brien told the Los Angeles Times.
The ordinance, which has no effective date, allows homeless people to stay on the streets with only sleeping bags and blankets. Culver City is one of 88 cities in Los Angeles County.
Culver City officials voted 3-2 Monday to shut down tents and other structures once more housing models for the homeless become available. Pictured: Homeless Roscoe Billy Ray Bradley Jr
The ordinance, which has no effective date, allows homeless people to stay on the streets with only sleeping bags and blankets.
Councilor Yasmin-Imani McMorrin has spoken out against the bans – saying she was “very disappointed”
Culver City’s new law aims to get more people off the streets, especially those who need the extra boost.
If the ordinance goes into effect, residents will be able to call the police if they refuse to go to the city’s many housing options, according to O’Brien.
“The wish on our part is that this regulation will help give them that little extra boost to embrace the accommodation and services we offer,” he told the news agency.
Culver Councilman Dan O’Brien claimed officers needed to act quickly before the streets were flooded with tents
Opposing officials argued the ordinance would crowd out homeless people who prefer to live outdoors.
“I’m very disappointed,” Councilwoman Yasmin-Imani McMorrin told NBC News. “I think that’s an incredibly damaging policy that doesn’t add anything other than punitive measures.”
A homeless man who has been living on the streets for almost a decade also expressed disappointment, arguing that he will not budge.
“You can’t take my tent,” Roscoe Billy Ray Bradley Jr. told the news outlet. “This is my personal property. I do not go anywhere.’
Bradley Jr. was seen in photos obtained by the news outlet as he stood near his tent after sweeping it around.
While Councilman O’Brien wanted to keep Los Angeles City’s homeless population from moving into the neighborhood, some have already settled in.
Walter Lindsey recently moved to a sidewalk in Culver City after leaving Los Angeles County’s massive homeless population on Skid Row.
Lindsey told the news outlet that he prefers Culver City to downtown Los Angeles, but doesn’t plan to get too comfortable.
“I guess I need to prepare,” Lindsey said when she found out about the ordinance.
The ordinance will come into effect when approximately 100 beds are made available through various programs in the city.
Councilwoman Yasmin-Imani McMorrin expressed disappointment with the decision
If the ordinance goes into effect, residents will be able to call the police if they refuse to go to the city’s many housing options
A homeless woman was spotted under the 405 freeway bridge over Venice Bouldevard in Culver City
A number of tents were seen under the 405 freeway in Culver City as several prepared to either dismantle their tents or move elsewhere
As the homelessness crisis worsens, Los Angeles Mayor Bass declared a state of emergency less than 24 hours after taking office last year.
At the time, Bass said she was using the emergency order to expedite things.
She added, “My mission is to steer Los Angeles in a new direction with an urgent and strategic approach to solving one of our city’s toughest challenges and creating a brighter future for every Angeleno.”
Bass plans to build approximately 3,000 new units and provide funds to purchase motels and apartments for the homeless and veterans. She will also try to rent out entire buildings to house the homeless.
The declaration, set to last six months, allows Bass to take more aggressive executive action to deal with the crisis, despite requiring the city council to sign it every 30 days.
In total, around 100,000 people live without shelter in California. With other high concentrations in the northern part of the state in cities like San Francisco, where nearly 8,000 people are sleeping on the streets.
Homelessness is very visible across California as people live in tents and cars and sleep outdoors on sidewalks and under freeway overpasses.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass last year pledged to put over 17,000 homeless people into shelters through a mix of temporary and permanent facilities in its first year. She declared a state of emergency on his first day in office