The homeless crisis in L.A. isn’t going away any time soon and, says one official, will never go away unless local residents change their attitude.
L.A. City Councilman Joe Buscaino says NIMBY-ism is holding up the City’s efforts to get the homeless off the streets.
”Residents keep begging for help anytime a storage facility is proposed, a safe-parking facility is proposed, temporary restrooms or showers are proposed, a shelter is proposed or supportive housing is proposed, we overwhelmingly hear that ‘we don’t want it in our back yard.’ We have to change that attitude if we’re serious about solving homelessness in this city.”
He says the City needs the added authority to remove mentally ill people from the streets for their own safety and health.
“If we have to look at the reform that we need of the 5150 hold, we have to look at Assembly Bill 1971. I encourage your listeners to call your state assembly member today to support the reform of 5150 as it relates to gravely disabled, to redefine what gravely disabled is.”
Buscaino was a guest on McIntyre in the Morning.
By Sandy Wells
KABC News