On February 9th the LA Times released an article explaining L.A.’s plan to build housing units for the homeless community. The idea is relatively simple: L.A. city can build multi-story housing units for chronically homeless individuals on a various number of public land, mostly bought in the two decades following World War Two. Parking lots have been zeroed in on as the best suited for the endeavor. Some 500 public land sites were reviewed, 129 were selected, and of that 129 all but 10 are parking lots. Exactly how this will be accomplished is of course dependant on a lot of variables, among them the reaction of council offices and neighborhood groups. A real estate broker from the Lincoln Heights area is quoted in the article warning about the potential impacts on local business. “Merchants are not going to have parking. People are going to move out. It’s going to hurt business.” Preliminary plans cited in the article all feature an expansion of parking spots, however. Opposition from community groups is to be expected, and similar policy proposals in the past have been derailed by political reaction and legal suits. Hence many advocates of the plan are implementing robust community outreach programs to get input from local community members and change public opinion.
Over the past week we’ve discussed how social support policy has been eroded. Specifically the L.A. Times article reminds me of skidrow, and how flophouses were destroyed to make way for development. I’m unsure if LA city’s plan will properly remedy many of the root reasons for homelessness, it feels more like a bandaid. Not that i doubt the effectiveness of the proposal, and it’s an encouraging shift in the policy conversation around homelessness. Instead I’m frustrated by reactionary policy proposals in general. Shelters and housing for the chronically homeless are inherently a response to homelessness, and are not intended to address the reasons why people become homeless. Further, I have concerns about how people may qualify for housing, the rules around shelters, and the longevity of such shelters given popular disdain for homeless people.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-parking-lots-housing-20180209-story.html