L.A. Homeless Program Faces Scrutiny After 40% of Participants Return to the Street
- 5 days ago
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L.A. Homeless Program Faces Scrutiny After 40% of Participants Return to the Street
A new Los Angeles Times report says about 40% of participants in Mayor Karen Bass’ Inside Safe program had returned to unsheltered homelessness by December 2025, raising new questions about the long-term results of one of the city’s most visible anti-homelessness efforts.
The program has spent more than $300 million since launching in December 2022 and has moved about 5,800 people indoors, mostly into hotels and motels.
According to the report, the percentage of participants who later returned to the street has grown over time. At the one-year mark in 2023, nearly 20% had gone back to unsheltered homelessness.
By the midpoint of Bass’ four-year term, that figure had risen above 30%, and by December 2025 it had reached roughly 40%, or about 2,300 of the 5,800 people who had entered the program.
The article says those who returned to the street included people who were expelled from interim housing or disappeared from the system altogether.
It also notes that many participants face serious mental health, substance use, or physical health challenges, which can make long-term stability more difficult even after they are placed indoors.
Inside Safe was designed to move people into permanent housing within 90 days, with a maximum interim stay of six months.
But the Times reports that the average stay had climbed to 362 days, nearly a full year, suggesting a major gap between the original plan and the reality on the ground.
Despite those setbacks, Bass has continued to credit the program with helping reduce street homelessness in Los Angeles by 17.5%.
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