Feel the Bern: From Tinsel Town to Shantytown

Los Angeles continues to grow its homeless population to unprecedented heights.

J.T. Young March 6, 2018

Los Angeles has gone from Tinsel Town to shanty towns. The city’s well-intentioned efforts to combat its homeless population crisis are not simply not solving the problem, the problem is getting worse. Clearly what L.A. is doing is not working; equally clear: The city must rethink its approach — starting with its economics.

A February 19 Los Angeles Times headline summed up the city’s reversal: “L.A. County’s homeless problem is worsening despite billions [an estimated $4.7 billion over ten years] from tax measures.” A clearer definition of failure would be hard to find.
 

According to the article: “A $73 million annual shortfall in funding for the county’s comprehensive homelessness program could more than triple… [P]roviding permanent housing for the county’s chronically homeless population would require more than 20,000 new units, about 5,000 more than projected.”