LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Los Angeles is considering a new solution to its homelessness problem, and it has already become a contentious debate.
Manoj Patel is the manager at an L.A. Motel 6. He voluntarily rents some rooms to homeless people who are vetted and paid for by a local church. Peterson said a pandemic-era program, which is now winding down, inspired the new bill by placing more than 10,000 people in hotels that volunteered.Shawn Bigdeli was a recipient of the program.
Additionally, every hotel, from a Super 8 to the Biltmore, will have to accept homeless people as guests.“Maybe for some, but, you know, there’s a lot of people with untreated mental health, and some people do some damage to these poor buildings, man,” he said.“She marked all walls, the curtain she burnt, thank God there was no fire. Even marked the ceiling,” he said.
Peterson said the language the bill opponents are using may lead to backwards thinking about homeless people.