The homeless crisis is complicated and is associated with high housing costs, inadequate shelter spaces, deinstitutionalization, changes in the criminal justice system, and other factors.
According to the the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count conducted in February 2022, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County is close to 70,000, of which 41,980 are within the city of Los Angeles. Over 70 percent of the homeless population in the county is classified as "unsheltered," meaning they are most likely living on the streets.
To help readers better understand the homeless crisis in L.A. County, this article by Gabriel Kahn explains it in six charts:
- Homelessness in Los Angeles 2015-2022
- Median rent by city, July 2020-July 2022
- Deaths of people experiencing homelessness in L.A. County
- Unhoused victims of homicide in Los Angeles, 2010-2022
- Weapons used in homicides of unhoused people in Los Angeles, 2021
- Crimes against unhoused people 2010-2021
For details, please refer to the source article.
Also, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) is seeking volunteers to help with the 2023 Homeless Count which will take place during the evening on January 24, 25, and 26. Volunteers can register for the Homeless Count at TheyCountWillYou.org. Traveling in groups of four, volunteers will tally the number of unsheltered individuals, tents, vehicles, and make-shift shelters they see in their assigned census tract.
FULL STORY: Understanding L.A.'s Homelessness Crisis in Six Charts
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research