People living in recreational vehicles frequently park on streets in Hollywood. (photo by Edwin Folven)

Assembly Democratic Caucus Chair Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood) has introduced Assembly Bill 2525, sponsored by Mayor Karen Bass, to help Los Angeles implement housing strategies for people experiencing homelessness and living in dilapidated recreational vehicles.

The bill will streamline the Los Angeles Recreational Vehicle Lot Program, enhancing the city’s ability to lease property from the California Department of Transportation at a reduced rate to store recreational vehicles while people receive services to transition into temporary and permanent housing.

The most recent point-in-time count data from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority showed that nearly 6,500 people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles are living in approximately 4,000 RVs. The number of people living in RVs, which has grown by 40% since 2018, represents 22% of the city’s total unsheltered homeless population.

Shortly after taking office, Bass launched the Inside Safe program to bring people experiencing homelessness into housing. To date, the program has brought more than 2,100 people inside, including RV dwellers. However, the city’s RV storage lots are 95% full. To get more people into housing and continue the program, the city of Los Angeles needs additional locations to store the RVs taken off the streets, Zbur said. Currently, Caltrans can lease property to the city for emergency shelter and meal services at a rate of $1 per month. AB 2525 allows Caltrans to include the storage of recreational vehicles as a third option for which it can lease property at the same low rate.

“Many candidates for services like transitional housing have RVs that have served as their only shelter after becoming homeless,” Zbur added. “This bill will free up space under freeways and other areas – which often otherwise go unused – to provide crucial storage for these RVs so that people can move into housing and receive critical services to relieve homelessness. Mayor Bass and the Inside Safe program have done an exemplary job at getting people housed, and the city of Los Angeles needs more RV storage space to continue that success.”

“In order to successfully confront the homelessness crisis, we need a unique approach to address RV encampments,” Bass said. “AB 2525 will help play an important role in that effort. Thank you to Assemblymember Zbur for leadership and partnership in our efforts to tackle this crisis.”