Karen Bass says she still hopes to solve street homelessness by end of first term

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) said she still hopes to eliminate street homelessness by the end of her first term in 2026.

Bass has been pushing to end homelessness in her city since being elected in 2022. She will lead a bipartisan group of more than 50 mayors to Washington, D.C., to meet with Biden administration officials and lawmakers about the ongoing issue of homelessness across the country, her office announced last week.

She said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that she still hopes to eliminate street homelessness in the city by the end of her first term.

“I still hope to do that,” she said when CNN’s Dana Bash asked about her commitment.

“Well, we shall see. We’ve done pretty well so far. A lot more to do,” she added when asked if it was still “achievable.”

Bass is the chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) Task Force on Homelessness. The task force is hoping to push leaders in Washington to expand veteran eligibility for housing vouchers, lift the cap on project-based vouchers for cities and to push for more funding for housing choice vouchers.

“In order to make tangible change in the greatest crisis facing Los Angeles and hundreds of cities across the country, we know we must continue to work in partnership with leaders across the country,” Bass said in a statement last week.

“We must continue this fight to get the job done. Thank you to President Biden and his administration for their strong partnership on this issue and to the members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who are willing to lock arms with us to save lives,” she added.

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