(Image source from: Los Angeles passes homeless plan})

Los Angeles passes a US$1.87 billion (RM7.81 billion) plan to help  44,000 homeless people, on Tuesday. The city council adopted the 10 year plan, that  aims to end growing homelessness in the Los Angeles, offering quality housing, hiring social workers and building permanent housing.

The county supervisors of the Los Angeles are also set to release  US$100 million over several years for housing the homeless people. They will provide  US$42 million in the first 12 months.

Sachi Hamai, CEO of the county, said that, homelessness is "the most serious humanitarian crisis confronting our county today." Los Angeles is scheduled to vote for the budget of the plan in April.

Jose Huizar, city Councilman, acknowledged that, past efforts to reduce the homelessness in the city had failed. He also co-chairs the Homelessness and Poverty Committee.

The number of the homeless people, who lives in their cars and street,  has increased by 12.4 % during 2013 and 2015. There is around  44,000 homeless people are living in the city. According to a spokesman for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, around 29,000 or two-thirds, sleep in the tents, streets or their cars.

The County spends around US$1 billion every year on psychiatric, medical and social welfare care for its homeless people. The amount does not include police expenditures.

The director of the county's Homeless Initiative, Phil Ansell, said that, " a real bed is much less expensive than a jail bed or a hospital bed."  

Nandini