Barger issues statement on county homeless count results and Supreme Court ruling  

Bridge to Home clinical supervisor Tyson Pursley, seated right, speaks to volunteers as they line up before the 2024 Homeless Count at the City of Santa Clarita Activities Center in Santa Clarita on Tuesday, 012324. Dan Watson/The Signal
Bridge to Home clinical supervisor Tyson Pursley, seated right, speaks to volunteers as they line up before the 2024 Homeless Count at the City of Santa Clarita Activities Center in Santa Clarita on Tuesday, 012324. Dan Watson/The Signal
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News release  

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger released a statement Friday regarding the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority’s 2024 Los Angeles Homeless Count results and the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on homeless encampments that was handed down Friday in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson. 

“Today’s Point in Time Count results estimate that Los Angeles County has more than 75,000 individuals experiencing homelessness,” said the prepared statement from Barger, who represents the county’s 5th District, which includes the Santa Clarita Valley. “That big number, along with the finding that about one-fourth of those self-report serious mental illness and substance use disorder, fuels a set of moral imperatives for county and city leaders alike: cut red tape, build more housing faster, and offer more mental health support and addiction treatment.” 

Barger’s statement said that, to decrease the number of homeless individuals living on the county’s streets, “we need to use every tool available to compassionately extend housing hand in hand with supportive services. We must also be balanced in our approach to enforcement so that communities can enjoy public spaces taken over by homeless encampments. The Supreme Court ruling empowers local governments to make judicious decisions about when to apply enforcement.” 

The Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling upheld a local ordinance in Grants Pass, Oregon. banning public camping, which activists claimed unconstitutionally punished homeless people for being homeless. (See related story here.) 

Barger’s statement added: “I want to be clear: the criminalization of people experiencing homelessness is wrong. But, having another tool to make measurable and effective change is critical. Our county and its cities must work collaboratively and in sync with one another so that we can successfully end homelessness. Homelessness is not a problem that can simply be shuffled around.” 

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