California wants to remove homeless encampments, but L.A. organizers seek ‘humane solutions’

On a hot Saturday in July, volunteers from KTown for All, street-level advocacy for homeless people in Koreatown, gathered near a large tree in the parking lot of the Immanuel Presbyterian Church to talk, get to know new members and walk through their neighborhood. New arrivals form a circle depositing supplies in the center and are welcomed by Sherin Varghese, leader of KTown for All.

 “Originally it was advocating for interim shelter,” explained Varghese. “Now it is sort of expanded into street level services, just humane solutions to homelessness.”

KTown for All faces the homeless crisis in its neighborhood with outreach and activism. Federal and local leaders chose a different path. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court decision City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, let local governments use punishing laws on homeless people sleeping in public spaces. The following month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order compelling state agencies to remove encampments from state property. 

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass tried to address the problem through Inside Safe, an aggressive strategy to move homeless people indoors. Inside Safe removed a large encampment in Koreatown near Virgil Middle School last year, but several encampments remain in the area. The Supreme Court case, Newsom’s order and Los Angeles’s programs have not adequately addressed the problem, according to Varghese — what she wants is more housing.

Homelessness is a dire issue in California, a state with one of the highest costs of housing in the country. The average price of a middle-class home in the United States is $363,000, but the average cost in California is $787,000, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. High housing costs and shortages have contributed to the number of homeless people in California. And activist groups, like KTown for All, are critical of the way officials are handling it.

Koreatown’s struggle with homelessness is part of a larger ongoing issue within Los Angeles. The 2024 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count showed there are still over 75,000 unhoused people in the county and 45,000 of them in the city.

Varghese and others started KTown for All in 2018 to support a proposed shelter in the heart of Koreatown. Local business leaders at the time were opposed to the idea, citing concerns that they were left out of the decision-making process. The shelter plans were eventually moved to Lafayette Park, but KTown for All has continued its advocacy work.

Small communities make plain the scope of the problem

Most KTown for All volunteers live in Koreatown, one of the most diverse and dense neighborhoods in Los Angeles, home to one of the largest enclaves of Bangladeshi and Thai immigrants. 

At the group’s July meeting, Varghese gave a short safety brief before assigning volunteers to patrol groups who drive or walk predetermined routes around the neighborhood. She cautioned new members against promising more than they could deliver. 

Zak Reynolds, a software engineer who has volunteered his Saturdays for the last three years, led one of the patrol groups.

“Everyone’s needs are different. There’s no one way to approach every situation,” said Reynolds. “So we just kind of have those conversations and talk to everyone.”

Varghese explained the need for homeless people to have a voice in their own advocacy. 

“Some of our members are unhoused,” said Varghese of volunteers who have helped on patrols and gathered information on the needs of unhoused people. 

Amir, one of the people Reynolds encountered on his route, said he roams the streets of Los Angeles with his dog, Cookie. Reynolds and other volunteers made sure Amir had enough food for the day and gave Cookie a chew toy.

Few shelters or temporary housing facilities allow animals, according to Amir. He said being on the street with his companion is better than being sheltered without her.

Victor Wu, 56, lives in an RV with a broken transmission along the KTown for All patrol route. Wu hopes to get to a parking lot that will allow him to stay while he figures out what to do next. Because of his situation, Wu struggles to keep up with the garbage around his vehicle and claims sanitation workers have targeted him by confiscating the trailer attached to his RV. The Sanitation department is supposed to store the material they take from encampments so that it can be claimed later. But members of the Koreatown homeless community claim the department is discarding their items. 

“The toughest part about being on the street was the sanitation department,” said Wu. “They take your things when you leave it out on the sidewalk.”

In 2019, eight complainants — including KTown for All — sued the city of Los Angeles for taking the belongings of homeless people. Last April, a federal court found that the Los Angeles Sanitation Department falsified documents to make it appear it had discarded items not restricted by the law, according to a report by the L.A. Times. According to Varghese and other volunteers, the Los Angeles Sanitation Department has seized medications, identification documents and important personal paperwork from encampment cleanups.

Another unhoused resident of Koreatown, Juan, who did not provide his last name, said he was kicked out of his home because of his drug and alcohol addiction. Juan, who has been living on the street for five years, relies on services like those provided by KTown for All.

“I live day by day, you know,” Juan said as he sat in the shade squinting in the sun. 

When volunteers encounter people with histories of drug and alcohol abuse along their routes, they provide harm reduction kits with clean drug paraphernalia and Narcan nasal sprays to counter drug overdoses. But Varghese said that locals have pushed back and claim the kits enable drug use. 

“I think that there are people who are going to use regardless, and I just want to make sure that people are alive to continue their life after that,” said KTown for All volunteer Nicolas Emmons. “I just want people to not die.”

Fighting for their neighbors, and winning small victories

After the two-mile patrol, the volunteers met back at the church parking lot with empty wagons. Varghese noted that they needed more food than the group expected. For some volunteers who patrolled with Ktown for All, the problem of homelessness in Los Angeles became more concrete. 

Cynthia Zhang, a graduate student in literature, said the issue feels overwhelming, but alleviating suffering is worth the effort.

“It’s good to sort of meet our neighbors and try and help where we can,” said Zhang. 

The sanitation department has increased sweeps in the area, and several members, including Zhang, have tried to watch the cleanups and make sure that personal items are not thrown out.  Members of Ktown for All are concerned the governor’s executive order will increase the number of cleanups in the neighborhood.

“It’s time to move with urgency at the local level to clean up these sites,” said Newsom in a statement explaining the reason for the executive order. “Focus on public health and focus on public safety.” 

A representative from the mayor’s office said Bass’ 2022 initiative “Inside Safe” does not move people against their will. 

“For the first time in years, unsheltered homelessness has decreased in Los Angeles because of a comprehensive approach that leads with housing and services, not criminalization,” Bass said in a statement against Newsom’s executive order. “Strategies that just move people along from one neighborhood to the next or give citations instead of housing do not work.”

The mayor’s office declined to discuss the city’s use of sweeps to remove encampments, however. Heather Hutt, the city councilmember for the district that contains Koreatown, also did not respond to a request for comment.

Reporting by USC’s Center for Health Journalism revealed that city sweeps rarely lead to permanent housing, but homeless sweeps are still part of Los Angeles’ response to encampments. 

Ktown for All volunteer Andy Beale thinks the root of the problem needs to be addressed before things can get better.

“The number one request we get,” said Beale, “is a request for housing.”