Over the past year, much has been made of the number 17,000 at L.A. City Hall. That's because when then-congresswoman Karen Bass was campaigning for mayor, 17,000 was the number of homeless people she pledged to house during her first year in office.
New numbers released Wednesday show that just days ahead of Bass' one-year anniversary, 1,951 is the number housed so far.
Mayor Bass does not consider this a failure of Inside Safe, telling KNX News reporter Craig Fiegener, "When I was putting the campaign together and made those pledges, I hadn't even thought of Inside."
Despite falling considerably short of the projected number, Bass is focusing on the progress Inside Safe has made, "I feel tremendously proud at what we have done so far because what we have done is we have shaken up the entire system."
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In a wide-ranging press conference at city hall, the mayor's office said that Los Angeles currently has contracts with 39 motels to provide interim supportive housing to those in need.
The mayor says her first year in office has established a good foundation for Inside Safe going forward.
According to Deputy Mayor of Communications, Zach Seidl, “The campaign promise was that 17,000 Angelenos would come inside. [Wednesday], Mayor Bass announced 21,000 Angelenos came inside, including more than 1,900 through inside safe. She exceeded the promise by thousands.”
However, Bass told KNX News that the '21,000' being shared by her office includes housing programs across the city and county - some from before her time as mayor.
HERE'S WHAT MAYOR BASS HAD TO SAY AFTER 100 DAYS IN OFFICE
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