Staggering images show a homeless city along a Los Angeles freeway where residents have built gates, electricity and even hammocks.
The growing number of people sleeping on the street has led dozens to gather along the Arroyo Seco next to the busy 110 Freeway, video shows.
The images emerged as Democratic Mayor Karen Bass called on the city’s rich and famous to fund “affordable” long-term housing for its 46,000 homeless people.
The mayor urged the “luckiest” to come forward during her State of the City address on Monday. Her campaign, called LA4LA, would seek to get wealthy residents to help “accelerate” homebuying efforts.
“Right now, we are working to move away from nightly rentals,” Bass said. “We are asking the most fortunate Angelenos to participate in this effort, with personal, private sector and philanthropic funds, to help us acquire more properties, reduce the cost of capital and accelerate housing construction.”
Among the 46,000 homeless people in Los Angeles, there are dozens living along the Arroyo Seco off the 110 Freeway near Highland Park (pictured)
Highway City residents have gated entry, electric power, and even hammocks to relax in.
The footage emerged as Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called on the city’s rich and famous to shell out money to help address the homelessness crisis by funding “affordable” housing.
Along the busy highway, structures include a stone wall, a gate and even electric lighting powered by stolen electricity, according to locals interviewed by KLTA5.
One resident has even hung a hammock to relax despite the traffic noise. Disgruntled residents believe the camp should be swept away.
‘This doesn’t belong here. “This is public property,” neighbor Mike Ancheta told the outlet. But this is not what it is supposed to be used for. This is dangerous. As you can see, someone is cooking out there, over an open fire. They are stealing electricity. Well then.’
Instead of focusing on cleaning up shelters, Bass announced LA4LA, the latest initiative calling on the wealthy to manage the city’s growing homeless epidemic.
It follows the controversial mansion tax, which introduced a four per cent levy on all homes over $5 million in a bid to generate funding for homelessness prevention.
The tax has been widely ridiculed after luxury home sales plummeted as the wealthy skirted the policy, generating about $700 million less than expected.
In addition to the four percent tax on properties over $5 million, for mega-mansions that exceed the $10 million threshold, owners lose 5.5 percent of their sales price if they decide to take advantage of your assets.
The result has been a 70 percent drop in luxury home sales, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Neighbors next to the city’s highway claimed residents are stealing electricity to power their shelters and asked why they had not been moved.
Instead, Bass has urged the “more fortunate” to help tackle the crisis as part of the LA4LA plan, his latest homelessness prevention initiative.
The policy comes after the hated mansion tax, which added a four percent levy on homes over $5 million. Pictured: Luxury homes are now clustered outside the taxed metropolitan area
A stunning mansion inside a gated estate in the affluent Los Angeles suburb of Tarzana has dropped $2.9 million, from $17.9 million in July 2023 to its current price of $15 million, according to listings. .
Another stunning sun-drenched property, located in the coveted Encino neighborhood, was devalued by nearly $1 million from $12.9 million in July 2023 to just over $11.9 million today.
On Monday, Bass again insisted that it was up to the rich to help solve the city’s homeless problem, which he described as a “disaster.”
“We must prevail over the humanity and generosity of the private sector,” he said.
‘LA4LA can be a game-changer for Los Angeles, an unprecedented partnership to confront this emergency, an example of how to disrupt the status quo to build a new system that saves lives..’
His comments echo those made about other homeless initiatives launched in the region to the tune of billions of dollars.
Bass touted his Inside Safe program as proof of the success of his policies.
The initiative moved more than 21,000 homeless people into temporary shelters, according to The Associated Press.
However, the plan cost $67 million in its first year and only 255 people were placed in permanent housing. NBC reports.
On his first day, Bass declared a state of emergency over the growing homeless population.
Homelessness in Los Angeles increased 10% compared to last year despite billions of investments in the area
The mayor also warned that homelessness could increase further due to the end of Covid-19-related assistance for low-income families and evictions.
But despite their numerous initiatives, the numbers have only increased, increasing by around 10 percent in the last year.
The mayor also warned that homelessness could increase further due to the end of Covid-19-related assistance for low-income families and evictions.
The city has now agreed to pay an outside firm $2.2 million to audit its homeless programs following a request from a federal judge.
The embattled Bass also faces a legal challenge from disgruntled business owners who say it reneged on a 2020 settlement agreement that promised to clean up homeless encampments.