Judge Orders Los Angeles To Provide Housing To Skid Row's Entire Homeless Population

“This ever-worsening public health and safety emergency demands immediate, life-saving action," a federal judge said Tuesday.

The entire homeless population living within downtown Los Angeles’ Skid Row neighborhood must be provided housing by Oct. 18, a federal judge ordered Tuesday, citing a need for “immediate, life-saving action” following years of negligence, racism and financial corruption by local officials. “This ever-worsening public health and safety emergency demands immediate, life-saving action. The City and County of Los Angeles have shown themselves to be unable or unwilling to devise effective solutions to L.A.’s homelessness crisis,” U.S. District Judge David Carter wrote in a 110-page brief. The order came in response to a lawsuit brought by the LA Alliance for Human Rights. The group of downtown businesses and residents had sued local government officials over their handling of the area’s expanding homelessness crisis, which they said has resulted in an average of three deaths per day.