Which Way, L.A.?

Changing the Focus on Homelessness Away from Skid Row

If New York could clean up Times Square, Los Angeles politicians agree, it's time to clean up Skid Row in downtown LA. But there are homeless people all over Los Angeles County, so the Supervisors have agreed to establish five regional centers for temporary housing along with drug and mental-health treatment. They'd be open 24/7 with beds, drug and mental-health treatment, and counseling about how to find permanent housing. Meantime a "blue ribbon" study just out today says a real solution will cost three times more than the $100 million the County's planning to spend. We hear more from a medical researcher in community health, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and the author of the study released today.