L.A. Officials Oppose Federal Proposal to Raise Rents on Low-Wage Earners
As the homeless population continues to skyrocket, two recent events underscore the dramatically disparate approaches that municipal and federal officials are taking to address housing.
Last month, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced to great fanfare in his State of the City address that his administration would be appropriating $429 million to help fund permanent and temporary shelter and to access social services and facilities to get the homeless off the streets.
An estimated 25,237 people are homeless in Los Angeles. "Homelessness is the moral and humanitarian crisis of our time, and we will confront it with historic investments in getting unsheltered Angelenos off the street," Garcetti said in a statement. "My budget also doubles down on the kinds of improvements — like better streets and sidewalks — that Angelenos can see and feel in their neighborhoods, and strengthens our commitment to protecting the city against another economic downturn."
Contrast that with what Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson advocated during a recent visit to Los Angeles. Carson is pushing for legislation that would increase rents among low-wage earners by 5 percent — in some cases tripling a family's rent.
Read more: http://www.laweekly.com/news/la-officials-oppose-federal-proposal-to-raise-rents-on-low-wage-earners-9454158