PARIS, FRANCE – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced today that she and her delegation are working to address homelessness and housing ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games. This afternoon, the delegation saw first-hand what the Paris government is doing as it relates to housing, equity and resources for their communities. The delegation toured a shelter for unhoused women in Paris’s City Hall as well as La Fabrique de la Solidarité, which specializes in distribution of basic necessities and support for seniors. La Fabrique also provides training courses for volunteers, coordinates donations of money, clothes and other supplies, and provides information and resources for members of the unhoused community. The delegation was briefed regarding how Paris hopes to confront this issue in the coming months before their Opening Ceremony.
“As we continue our delegation to prepare for the Olympics, it is critical that we are keeping in mind how best to serve our most vulnerable populations in Los Angeles,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “As we’re here in Paris, our Inside Safe team has been working on the ground to get Angelenos into the housing they deserve, and from Paris, we are learning how Parisians are confronting homelessness.”
The delegation includes Council President Paul Krekorian, Councilmember Traci Park, Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, LA Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins, LA84 Foundation President and CEO Renata Simril and Priscilla Cheng, Senior Vice President for Government Relations at LA28. All three Councilmembers sit on the Ad Hoc Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Councilmembers Park and Yaroslavsky serve as Chair and Vice-Chair, respectively and President Krekorian was a member of the Ad Hoc Committee when the host city contract was signed.
The delegation is examining how Paris is prioritizing the most vulnerable communities and ensuring equitable access to much needed resources and necessities. The delegation has also discussed expanding opportunities for minority-owned businesses. While in Paris, the Mayor’s Office, in partnership with the City Council, has conducted Inside Safe operations in Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood bringing more than 20 Angelenos inside. Earlier this week, Mayor Bass announced she and California Governor Gavin Newsom were moving forward with a new partnership to help keep areas near freeways clean and safe as both the State and the City continue their efforts to bring unhoused people indoors. Initiated by the Mayor’s Office, this agreement between the Los Angeles Department of Sanitation (LASAN) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will allow City crews to house Angelenos living on CalTrans land, including freeway overpasses, and access Caltrans properties to remove trash and debris from areas near freeways in Los Angeles. This will be an important strategy to help make sure public spaces are clean and safe following successful operations that bring unhoused people inside. The State will reimburse Los Angeles for costs associated with the partnership in the Caltrans District 7 Metro Region.
