(Image Credit: nationalartsprogram.com)
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a motion to declare homelessness a humanitarian emergency in California.
Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Sheila Kuehl sought the motion, saying the issue calls for more pressing attention, because of the increased health and safety risks to people living on the streets.
The motion means the board will send a letter to the California state Assembly and Senate, asking them to pass a resolution to ask Gov. Jerry Brown to declare homelessness a state of emergency in the Golden State.
About 47,000 people sleep in tents, encampments, cars or on the streets each night in Los Angeles county, according to a recent count conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. For instance, the San Fernando Valley saw a 35 percent increase in homelessness this year compared to last year, while the South Bay saw a 10 percent rise.
For Susan Abram's article, please click here.
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