Judge OKs housing for 7,000 LA homeless living near freeways

A federal judge has approved an agreement in which the city and county of Los Angeles will provide housing for almost 7,000 homeless people who live near freeways and those over 65 or vulnerable to COVID-19, officials said Thursday. The city will provide 6,000 new beds within 10 months and another 700 beds over 18 months while the county spends $300 million over five years to fund services for the people, according to a joint statement from the offices of county Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and City Council President Nury Martinez. As a result of the agreement, U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter dropped a preliminary injunction that required the relocation of homeless people living within 500 feet (152 meters) of freeways by Sept. 1 on grounds they faced a health risk emergency.