One of Venice's oldest and largest homeless encampments cleared
The empty sidewalks along Venice's Rose Avenue and Hampton Drive are leaving city officials with a feeling of progress and acts a sign of hope that Los Angeles may eventually emerge from its homelessness crisis.
"It's unbelievable," said Venice resident Craig Ribeiro. "More than anything I'm happy for the people on the streets that got the help they needed."
Crews power washed the newly cleared concrete along the intersection just days after 100 of the unhoused living along the stretch of sidewalk were placed into housing. The encampment raised a range of safety concerns and impacted businesses in the area.
"You name it, we had our pizza ovens stolen. We had our vans stolen," said business owner Jason Neroni. "We were robbed; baseball bats swung at us; defecations in the dining room. Things like that."
The tents and belongings were removed over a period of several days and first reported by the Los Angeles Times. The effort took place during the recent series of storms that happened in the past weeks. It was also part of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' new initiative called "Inside Safe" and a collective effort with partners from the nonprofit St. Joseph Center and newly elected city councilmember Traci Park.
"To have gotten so many people off the streets and into locations where they are safe and getting connected to services, is a tremendous win for me and the mayor," said Park.
Park tapped into the West Side rage over the homeless crisis during her campaign and knows the pressure is to get results. She believes this represents a positive step forward but tens of thousands of people remain unhoused. Park said success will be measure in key ways.
"It is the number of folks we are getting off the streets and getting into housing and into services," she said. "The progress we're making in our neighborhoods."
A new mayor, a new council and a new momentum. However, keeping this going will not be easy.
"It's not an easy problem to solve," said resident John Doering. "It's good t o see some of that action kind of taking place."