Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 6 June 2019
Homelessness rises 12% in Los Angeles County, study finds

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER on some tenants and en-
Associated Press couraging the construction
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The of more affordable hous-
number of homeless peo- ing.
ple counted across Los An- "We're seeing folks who are
geles County jumped 12% working, have jobs and are
over the past year to nearly homeless. They can't afford
59,000, with more young the rent. They can't afford
and old residents and fami- to live in the communities
lies on the streets, officials in which they've grown up
said Tuesday. their entire life. And they're
The majority of the home- being displaced," said As-
less were found within the semblywoman Buffy Wicks,
city of Los Angeles, which a Democrat from Oakland,
saw a 16% increase to where a countywide sur-
36,300, the Los Angeles vey this year found a 43%
Homeless Services Authority increase in the homeless
said in presenting January's population over the last
annual count to the county several years.
Board of Supervisors. But California tenant legis-
The increase was regis- lation faces persistent op-
tered a year after the pre- In this May 30, 2019 file photo tents housing homeless line a street in downtown Los Angeles. position from landlords and
vious tally found a slight Associated Press other major housing bills
decrease in the county's have already sputtered this
homeless population. sprawl. About three-quarters of the the ones flagged down if legislative session.
The problem was appar- "People are being housed homeless people counted someone has a seizure or if Officials in San Francisco,
ent just outside the board out of homelessness and were living outdoors, fuel- someone ODs." which struggles with in-
meeting, where a man and falling into homelessness ing concerns of a growing Lopez estimates her group's come inequality and a
a woman were camped on a continuous basis," said public health crisis with piles private trash service re- growing number of home-
out on a small patch of Peter Lynn, the authority's of garbage and rats near moves between 5 and 7 less residents, are consid-
lawn. Tents regularly pop executive director. homeless encampments tons of garbage every day. ering a proposal to force
up on the pavement out- About a quarter of those lining downtown sidewalks. County Supervisor Janice mentally ill and addicted
side nearby City Hill and counted became home- The Skid Row area is Hahn called the increase in people into treatment.
hundreds of people live in less for the first time in 2018, "ground zero" for the crisis, homeless population "dis- Critics say the plan goes
makeshift shanties that line and about half of those where the smell of human heartening." against the spirit of a city
entire blocks in the notori- cited economic hardship waste permeates the air "Even though our data known for its fierce protec-
ous neighborhood known as the primary cause, the and violence is common, shows we are housing more tion of civil rights.
as Skid Row. authority said. said Estela Lopez of the people than ever, it is hard The Los Angeles County
The county's Homeless To reduce homelessness, Downtown Industrial Busi- to be optimistic when that count found a 24% increase
Services Authority said communities must over- ness Improvement District. progress is overwhelmed in homeless youth, defined
it helped 21,631 people come resistance to the The district's business mem- by the number of people as people under 25, and
move into permanent hous- placement of housing and bers, mainly fish and pro- falling into homelessness," a 7% jump in people 62 or
ing during 2018 — a pace shelters, officials said. duce vendors, pay addi- Hahn said. older.
that would have helped Three years ago, Los Ange- tional property tax for on- The Los Angeles County Officials estimate about
rapidly end homelessness les voters approved a tax demand power-washing of figures mirror tallies across 29% of people experienc-
if economic pressures had hike and $1.2 billion hous- sidewalks and a private se- California, as state offi- ing homelessness in the
not simultaneously pushed ing bond to make a de- curity force that mediates cials struggle to address county are mentally ill or
thousands more out of their cade's worth of massive in- disputes and clears people a lack of affordable hous- coping with substance
homes. vestments to help solve the congregating at compa- ing. In addition, officials abuse problems.
But while some people who homeless crisis. That bond nies' front doors and load- said, wages among lower About two-thirds of all peo-
had been homeless man- money has been commit- ing docks. income people have not ple on the streets of metro
aged to get permanent ted to build more than half "We're not the police but kept up with the rising cost Los Angeles are male, just
places to live, others who of the 10,000 new housing we're increasingly doing of living. under one-third are fe-
had homes were forced units planned countywide police work because we're Some state lawmakers on male, and about 2% iden-
onto the streets of metro over the next decade, out there all day, every Tuesday called for legisla- tify as transgender or gen-
Los Angeles' vast urban Lynn said. day," said Lopez. "We're tion capping rent increases der non-conforming.q

Connecticut lawmakers move to ban ‘gay panic defense’

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) passed a bill Tuesday that Bethel, made note of the “It’s a very important case June 19.
— Criminal defendants prevents defendants from 1998 death of Matthew that we should not forget According to the Wash-
in Connecticut would be using the so-called gay Shepard, the college stu- about,” said Allie-Brennan, ington, D.C.-based Na-
barred from claiming as panic defense. dent who was beaten to noting the recent increase tional LGBT Bar Association,
their sole legal defense that That defense blames a death by two men in Wyo- in the number of reported which is leading an effort to
they panicked after learn- violent reaction on discov- ming. hate crimes the U.S. Ac- pass such legislation across
ing about their victim’s sex- ering a victim’s actual or Defense attorneys unsuc- cording to the FBI, the num- the country, said Califor-
ual orientation under a bill perceived sexual orienta- cessfully attempted to use ber increased by about nia, Illinois, Rhode Island
heading to the governor’s tion or gender identity or the gay panic defense. A 17% in 2017. and Nevada have already
desk. expression. judge would not allow it Cuomo said the bill is one banned gay panic defens-
The state House of Rep- Rep. Rep. Raghib Allie- and those men were con- of his top priorities before es. Legislation is pending in
resentatives unanimously Brennan, a Democrat from victed. the Legislature adjourns other states.q