Los Angeles Is Spending Up to $837,000 to House a Single Homeless Person

Downtown Los Angeles tent city, Youtube
Los Angeles voted for a $1.2 billion program in 2016 that was intended to quickly build housing for the city’s sprawling homeless population, but it is moving very slowly while costs are spiking. Most of the units are studios or one-bedroom apartments. An audit found 14% of the 1,200 units that have been built exceeded $700,000 each, and one project in pre-development is estimated to cost almost $837,000 per unit. In recent years, homeless encampments have spread into virtually every neighborhood, while the population has climbed to an estimated 41,000 people. Most are drug addicted or mentally ill, and violence is commonplace. Homelessness is an industry and government agencies, NGOs, and land developers profit from it and are interested in expanding funds rather than fixing the problem.

A $1.2 billion program intended to quickly build housing for Los Angeles’ sprawling homeless population is moving too slowly while costs are spiking, with one project under development expected to hit as much as $837,000 for each housing unit, a city audit disclosed Wednesday.

About 1,200 units have been completed since voters approved the spending in 2016, which was then a centerpiece in a strategy intended to get thousands of people off the streets. But the tally of units built so far is “wholly inadequate” in the context of the homeless crisis, said the audit issued by city Controller Ron Galperin.

In recent years, homeless encampments have spread into virtually every neighborhood, while the population has climbed to an estimated 41,000 people. Many are drug addicted or mentally ill, and violence is commonplace.

The program “is still unable to meet the demands of the homelessness crisis,” Galperin said in a letter accompanying the 31-page report. The pace of development is sluggish, he said, while the cost of each unit continues to rise — in some cases to “staggering heights.”

Most of the units are studios or one-bedroom apartments. The audit found 14% of the units build exceeded $700,000 each, and one project in pre-development is estimated to cost almost $837,000 per unit.

The audit noted that higher prices for construction materials during the pandemic, including lumber, along with labor shortages could be contributing to rising costs.

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Fastt Ed
Fastt Ed
2 years ago

If it is coming from Beezos’ pocket and his 3 mansions in LA then that is fine.

Ragnar D.
Ragnar D.
2 years ago

LA and SFO continue to collapse into socialist hellholes. At this point I don’t see these problems as being fixable in our current system. These places are going to continue to fall apart and will suck down surrounding areas with them. We must continue to build parallel economies and to reject any globalist solutions for “saving” us because all of this chaos has occurred on their watch. Why would we want to do anything the way the globalists want to?

Aunt Jemima
Aunt Jemima
2 years ago

Force those human predators in “government” who voted-for those units to live in them for 10 years … and pay whatever the going rent is to live in a conventional apartment that costs $800,000 … which is roughly $4,000 per month.

Steve Gaylord
Steve Gaylord
2 years ago

Gruesome Newsom – what a great guy! I’m being facetious… Great idea though, the devaluation of the dollar and introducing a cryptocurrency; the perfect tool for controlling everything and everyone. “Have nothing, be happy”. :^)

Last edited 2 years ago by Steve Gaylord