Los Angeles City Council Declares Homelessness "State of Emergency"

The Los Angeles City Council urged Mayor Garcetti to declare the homeless crisis in Los Angeles a state of emergency, a designation that would allocate $100 million to services for the homeless population. 

Mayor Garcetti noted during the press conference that, if the state of emergency was declared, the money would be spent on both permanent and temporary housing solutions for areas with the highest concentrations of homeless, including downtown's Skid Row. 

The proposal had overwhelming support from the Los Angeles City Council, but details about where the money would come from are still up in the air. 

The $100 million figure proposed correlates to a report put out in April which found that Los Angeles already spends more than $100 million already on policing the homeless, including nearly $85 million on arrests alone. 

If the crisis is designated as a state of emergency, the funds would become available in January of next year.