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The Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved Mayor Eric Garcetti’s plan to create a makeshift shelter for the homeless on city-owned property downtown, backing a new approach to get people off the streets.

A temporary shelter for the homeless has been approved for this city-owned parking lot at the corner of Arcadia and Alameda streets in downtown Los Angeles. (Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
A temporary shelter for the homeless has been approved for this city-owned parking lot at the corner of Arcadia and Alameda streets in downtown Los Angeles. (Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Trailers will be installed on a parking lot at Arcadia and Alameda streets, near the historic El Pueblo site, and operate for up to three years, housing about 60 residents at a time. Housing placement and mental health services will also be available.

With the proposal, Garcetti is targeting the nearly 200 people who live on the sidewalks and streets near El Pueblo, hoping to get them into then trailers and eventually into permanent housing.

Merchants at El Pueblo’s Olvera Street oppose the location of the shelter, saying it will bring more homeless people to the tourist area and hurt their businesses.

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