Local & State
Man dies a week after LA’s Inside Safe program moves him into interim housing
PN Team • 2 months ago
Raz Chowdhury, 45, died on July 2 in a hotel room at the Mayfair Hotel in Westlake, roughly a week after being moved off the streets of Koreatown into interim housing through Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' Inside Safe program. He was among 31 people relocated during a June 25 operation at Wilshire Boulevard and Manhattan Place. His cause of death remains deferred pending investigation by the LAPD's Rampart Division, and officials have not confirmed his enrollment status at the LAHSA-run facility, citing privacy rules.
Chowdhury was well known among Koreatown's homeless community and volunteers with the advocacy group Ktown for All, who described him as someone who consistently helped others access supplies and support. Friends held a memorial at his former encampment site. LAHSA data shows that as of July 31, more than 6,400 people had entered Inside Safe housing, with over a quarter returning to homelessness and about 2% recorded as deceased, underscoring ongoing scrutiny of the program's outcomes.
Sources:
Sentiment
- Los Angeles Los Angeles is referenced as the city running the program whose outcomes are under scrutiny, a mildly unfavorable association.