LA Doctor Explains Why Homelessness Is Growing in the City | Houman David Hemmati

LA Doctor Explains Why Homelessness Is Growing in the City | Houman David Hemmati

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62 Video Views·May 4, 2024

"We're talking about homeless housing located on some of the most expensive land on Earth, occupying what used to be a much-needed parking garage, at a cost of $2 million per unit. The value of that land was around $120 to $150 million. If they're building 120 units on there, that's a million dollars per unit of just land value, taxpayer land value. And the council is justifying it, saying, 'It's very much needed, it's environmentally beneficial,' and that 'it promotes equity by allowing homeless individuals to live in a nicer area rather than pushing them off.'

Siyamak sits down with Dr. Houman David Hemmati, an activist and resident of LA, who over the years has been observing how the LA county is dealing with the homeless, including the city of Santa Monica.

"I've seen people who've owned buildings and wanted to develop them for medical purposes, who've given up and said, you know what, I'm turning it into homeless housing, I'm going to make more money quicker, because the city will just write me unlimited checks. And that's what's happening."

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