In another move aimed at tackling the homeless problem, the Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to expand the rules on when a “shelter crisis” can be declared and what constitutes an emergency shelter.
On a 13-0 vote, the council approved an ordinance that removes previous limitations, including that temporary shelters could only be used during nighttime hours and only operate for a total of 120 days during the winter months of Nov. 1 to March 31.
The vote also broadens the definition of an emergency shelter and expands the criteria for what organizations can operate one.
“Today’s vote gives the city of Los Angeles more flexibility in assisting our homeless neighbors in real-time when they are in crisis mode, which our previous restrictions did not always reflect,” said Councilman Jose Huizar. “It is consistent with our Homelessness Strategic Plan and but one step of many we must take to adequately address homelessness now and in the future.”
Huizar is chair of the Planning and Land Use Management Committee, which approved the ordinance before it came to the full council.
Tuesday’s vote also directs the city attorney to draft an ordinance to expand the current law to include more zoning designations for shelters and to cover more areas of the city than are currently allowed.
Los Angeles voters in November approved bond measure HHH, which will raise $1.2 billion for homeless housing and services, and county voters passed Measure H, which will raise an estimated $355 million annually for 10 years to assist the homeless.
— City News Service