Abigail Aguirre struggles with sleepless nights due to noise from a nearby homeless encampment. The constant disruptions, sometimes accompanied by drug use and loud music, have impacted her husband’s early work schedule. Her home, located east of the 110 Freeway in South Los Angeles, remains burdened by these disturbances despite ongoing city interventions.
Three years ago, Mayor Karen Bass initiated the Inside Safe program focused on relocating homeless individuals into hotels and motels. This move temporarily cleared the streets around Aguirre’s neighborhood. However, new encampments soon emerged.
The Inside Safe program, a centerpiece of Bass’ agenda, has conducted operations more than 25 times on a one-mile stretch along the 110 Freeway. Despite efforts to relocate individuals, many overpasses and side streets continue to host encampments. The 51st Street overpass, particularly, remains crowded with tents and trash.
Joel Galarza, living near this area, highlights increased crime, fires, and drug use linked to the encampment. Residents like him feel their appeals to the city and police have gone unheard.
“It feels like there’s no more hope, that your voice doesn’t matter,” he said.
Bass has prioritized removing street encampments, acknowledging their risks to both homeless individuals and nearby residents. The Inside Safe program has relocated over 6,200 people to temporary housing, yet nearly half returned to the streets.
City Councilmember Traci Park praised Bass’ efforts in Venice, where over 100 people were moved. However, the broader challenge remains as 43% of relocated individuals resumed street living. Bass aims to expand the program by shifting focus to high-quality shelters instead of costly hotel accommodations.
City records show that by December, 23 Inside Safe areas had seen repeated outreach due to persistent reoccupation. In Hollywood and MacArthur Park, operations were regularly required to reclaim streets from returning homeless populations.
Nithya Raman, running against Bass for mayor, criticized the program’s cost inefficacy, urging for permanent housing solutions instead of temporary measures.
Bass’ team acknowledged that freeways and industrial areas attract homeless individuals due to their temporary shelter and privacy. Still, Inside Safe operations continue to struggle with maintaining cleared zones.
Estela Lopez, head of a district representing businesses in Skid Row, cited inadequate enforcement as the reason for repopulation. The reemergence of encampments along Alameda Street demonstrates the ongoing challenge, despite multiple Inside Safe interventions.
Bass points to successes like 6th and Fairfax, where strategic landscaping helped deter encampments post-clearance. Similarly, Angelus Rosedale Cemetery remains free of tents due to effective measures like restrictive parking.
Despite repeated efforts on Cahuenga Boulevard and elsewhere, people like Frank Gordon, removed by Inside Safe, find themselves retreating to familiar grounds due to personal challenges and system limitations.
Kevin Paz’s experience on the 51st Street overpass underscores a preference for familiar or strategic locations over new, less predictable environments.
In areas like Harbor City and Baldwin Hills, persistence and strategic interventions gradually yielded clear streets. Neighborhood advocates like Johnnie Raines III praise the meaningful individual impacts of Inside Safe, even as broader challenges remain.
Within South L.A., frustrations persist amid fires and repeated encampment returns. Residents like Elmer Roldan witness these cycles despite gradual improvements in other indicators, such as fewer visible tents.