(VitalNews.org) – Los Angeles has dealt with a giant homelessness crisis, but the unhoused population remained steady from last year to this year, marking the first time in years that the county hasn’t seen an increase.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority counted seventy-five thousand unhoused people across the county this year. Officials have said this is meaningful progress in an effort to address the crisis after seeing increases year-to-year in homelessness.
This count includes unhoused people who are living outside and in shelter programs; the LAHSA counts have often been undercounts.
There was a five percent decrease in people who have been living in tents, cars, RVs, or makeshift shelters. These people are still considered “unsheltered,” and they make up almost seventy percent of the entire homeless population.
“The trend has reversed,” said Karen Bass, Mayor of Los Angeles. “Today we know we can and will bring people inside and move LA in a different direction.”
There are many reasons why this city is dealing with an excess of homeless people. This can be anything from home prices, higher rent, housing shortages, a spike in evictions, and the fact that there aren’t enough shelters for the homeless population.
In January of last year, the state implemented a state of emergency due to the amount of homeless people in its city, which led to accelerated efforts to get people off the street. This resulted in the board passing a six hundred million dollar budget for their homeless initiative.
Last year, there were over twenty-seven thousand people who were placed in homes; this was the record high of placement within a year. The CEO of LAHSA, Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum, stated that within several years they could “end homelessness” as long as officials could prevent people from losing housing.
Stated Adams Kellum, “We do not agree with criminalizing homelessness.”
“This year’s homeless count strongly supports our best practices. We believe in housing and services, not arrest.”
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