The homeless crisis in Los Angeles has grown exponentially in recent years, impacting the entire community.

“It’s a very serious issue in LA that we should work hard to combat,” Kimmie Beerel ’27 said.

“Homelessness is a very upsetting issue that makes me very sad,” Alice Torosyan ’27 said.

Mayor Karen Bass steps up to try and finally solve this issue for all Angelinos. Bass’s most recent course of action is to appoint a new chief housing homelessness officer; introducing secretary Lourdes Castro Ramírez. Secretary Castro Ramírez will begin her appointment on Nov. 6.

“We must continue our momentum and progress in confronting the emergency of this homelessness crisis, and I am excited to be bringing Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramírez to continue our transformative work on this issue,” Bass said in a recent press release.

Castro Ramírez has held notable positions including her appointment by former President Barack Obama to lead the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Public and Indian Housing; President and CEO of the San Antonio Housing Authority; Director at the L.A. City Housing Authority overseeing rental assistance and resident development programs; and serving as University Health System Foundation President in San Antonio. Castro Ramírez earned her Master of Arts Degree in Urban Planning and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Chicano Studies at UCLA.

Leaders Across the Country have praised Bass’s move to appoint Castro Ramierez as Chief Housing and homelessness officer.

“I tapped Lourdes to lead an effort to create the first comprehensive and compassionate affordable housing policy for the city of San Antonio, Texas. That framework has become a pillar in San Antonio’s recovery, sustainability, and resiliency strategies. We are thrilled that she will be sharing her talents and expertise with the people of Los Angeles, California and the Office of Mayor Karen Bass,” Mayor Ron Nirenbirg of San Antonio, Texas said.

“There is no one better positioned than Lourdes Castro Ramírez to take on this critical role at such a momentous time,” Former United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan said. “Lourdes understands that a home is a prerequisite for success in America; that health, wealth, education, and other opportunities are rooted in a stable, supportive, affordable home. I’m proud to have worked with Lourdes. Her decades of experience, starting with work at the community level and extending all the way to her time at HUD, have made her the essential person to lead housing across the City of Los Angeles.”