Mayors Address Homelessness Crisis and City Progress in State of the City Speeches

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass plans to recommend a record $1.3 billion in funding to tackle the city's homelessness crisis, including buying hotels or motels to convert into housing and providing substance abuse treatment beds. The budget will also include funds for hiring hundreds of police officers, a recruitment campaign, and incentives for new hires. The city has over 40,000 homeless people, with half struggling with drug or alcohol addiction and a third having serious mental illnesses. The mayor's signature program, Inside Safe, has over 1,000 enrollees so far.