A recent effort by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is making it easier than ever to open emergency shelters in communities across the city to provides beds and much needed services to the unsheltered. Garcetti's plan called A Bridge Home enables city council members to identify a site or building adjacent to a high-density homeless population and create an emergency shelter on any land owned or leased by the city.
As a result of this initiative, shelter plans for the downtown LA encampment area around Union Station are moving ahead. Construction for the El Pueblo facility is scheduled to finish at the end of August, with its first residents moving off the street and into the facility in September. My Dog is My Home is working with staff from The People Concern to make sure animal accommodations are thoughtfully planned at the outset.