Five years of litigation over homelessness devolves into a battle of definitions

"U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter kicked off the hearing in November with a searing review of the city's "pattern of defiance of settlement agreement and the deadlines contained within it with performance or performative compliance only resulting in the wake of court hearings." Four days of testimony, spread over nearly two months, have produced a striking record of confusion and disagreement over the meaning of basic terms such as "homeless encampment" and "persons served,""

"That contention is one of several at the core of a hearing in Los Angeles federal court to determine if the city should be held in contempt for failing to comply with a settlement, signed more than 3½ years ago, that requires it to produce more than 12,000 beds of shelter or housing and remove nearly 10,000 homeless encampments from the street."

Plaintiffs in a five-year-old lawsuit say the City of Los Angeles failed to address homelessness. City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo testified that a bed created by the city remains "on offer" whether someone is sleeping in it or not. A federal hearing will determine whether the city should be held in contempt for failing to comply with a settlement signed more than 3½ years ago that requires more than 12,000 shelter or housing beds and removal of nearly 10,000 encampments. Testimony showed confusion over definitions like "offer" and "persons served" and acknowledged the city cannot track how often offers are made.

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