Karen Bass, the first female mayor of Los Angeles, wasted no time in declaring a state of emergency on homelessness after taking office in December 2022. She has also taken up the challenge of addressing homelessness at the national level as chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Task Force on Homelessness. Bass, along with a bipartisan group of 50 mayors representing 17 million people, recently laid out a national policy agenda to tackle homelessness at the city, state, and federal levels. The mayors called for more funding for the Housing Choice Voucher program and greater flexibility in providing affordable housing by lifting certain caps and restrictions on project-based vouchers.
In addition to these policy recommendations, the mayors also called for more robust housing assistance for military veterans, aiming to eliminate unintended barriers preventing veterans from accessing housing. Although the number of veterans experiencing homelessness has decreased since 2010, there is still work to be done to ensure that all at-risk veterans have access to permanent housing. Bass has emphasized the importance of housing homeless veterans as a top priority, alongside other city initiatives aimed at getting people off the streets.
Bass’ administration in Los Angeles launched Inside Safe, a comprehensive strategy to address homelessness by working with various partners to move individuals and families to interim housing. This initiative has already helped approximately half of the city’s estimated homeless population of 44,000 individuals. Lacey Beaty, the first female mayor of Beaverton, Oregon, and a U.S. Army veteran, has also been working to address homelessness in her city through initiatives like establishing year-round shelters with health and behavioral health resources.
The issue of homelessness extends beyond major cities like Los Angeles and affects communities across the country. Shawyn Patterson-Howard, the first female mayor of Mount Vernon, New York, has emphasized that homelessness is a nationwide crisis that impacts urban, suburban, and rural communities alike. All In all, a federal initiative launched by the Biden administration aims to reduce homelessness by 25 percent by 2025 and ultimately ensure that every person in America has a safe and affordable home. Collaboration among federal, state, and local governments is seen as essential in addressing the complex challenges of homelessness.
Bass and other mayors met with Cabinet secretaries and members of Congress in an effort to secure support and resources to address homelessness on a national scale. Perez, a White House senior adviser, emphasized the need for sustainable, systemic solutions to the homelessness crisis through partnerships at all levels of government. With ongoing collaboration and funding from federal, state, and local sources, mayors like Bass are working tirelessly to address homelessness and provide housing assistance to those in need.
