At 7:30 a.m. on June 18, 40 city officials gathered at the homeless encampment near 10th Street and South Gramercy Place in Los Angeles’ Koreatown. About eight homeless individuals, including Korean Americans, had packed their bags and prepared to move. They were relocated to motels through LA Mayor Karen Bass’s homeless relocation program, Inside Safe.
Former Agape Home Mission pastor Kangwon Lee, who had lived on the streets for seven and a half years without a tent, also boarded a city-provided Dash bus to the motel. “There were some things in my life that are a bit hard to talk about,” Lee said. “But I think I will stop living on the streets now. It would be very nice to live in a motel.”
Inside Safe is a program that provides temporary housing to address the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles. A team within the mayor’s office canvasses the streets and responds to complaints to offer temporary housing, such as motels, hotels, and emergency shelters. According to the mayor’s office, the Inside Safe team identifies tent camps to be relocated and plans in advance.
On the day of the operation, the relocation of the tent camps at 10th Street and South Gramercy Place was systematically organized. Staff from the LA Mayor’s Office, LA County Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), and LA County Department of Mental Health were on hand to speak with the homeless to confirm their names and basic health conditions.
Meanwhile, Department of Transportation staff and LAPD officers set up roadblocks around the tent camps to control traffic. Once the homeless boarded the buses and left, LA Sanitation crews dismantled the tents. The relocation process was completed in two hours.
“Today’s relocation was in District 5,” said the mayor’s office. “From outreach to operation, the LA Mayor’s Office leads the effort to relocate homeless people. Today, we’re moving eight people to motels in the district, but this is reflecting their free will as much as possible.”
Despite the city’s effort, a Korean-American woman in her 60s reversed her consent for relocation. “I don’t want to go into a motel unless it’s in Koreatown. I want to stay where I know and feel safe,” she said. Some individuals in the homeless encampment also set up their tents again after the cleanup.
Inside Safe does not limit the length of stay for homeless people living in single rooms in relocated motels and other facilities. The temporary housing also provides food and rehabilitation programs. However, some still end up back on the streets after their stay.
According to a recent Inside Safe budget disclosure by City Controller Kenneth Mejia, a total of 2,728 homeless people moved into temporary housing, including motels and hotels, from December 2022 to May 31 of this year, but 686 of them returned to living on the streets.
This year, the LA Mayor’s office has been expanding Inside Safe efforts in Koreatown neighborhoods. Until recently, homeless individuals were provided temporary housing at three locations, including 10th Street/South Gramercy Place, Wilton Place/6th Street, and Wilshire Boulevard/Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools. Among them, the Wilton Place/6th Street and Wilshire Boulevard/Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Community Schools area, which have been frequent sources of complaints, are currently free of homeless tents.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM, HOONSIK WOO [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
