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According to the latest official report, the number of homeless people in Los Angeles County increased by 4.1% since 2020. The count recorded 69,144 homeless people in the county and 41,980 in the city, raising concerns among many local officials.
The count came out of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).
For Janice Hahn, Los Angeles County Supervisor, “these results are disheartening. This count may contain signs of progress, but no one is going to celebrate when there are this many people sleeping on our streets.”
For her part, City Council President Nury Martinez said the numbers confirm an open secret, “what city leaders have long known, that the city of Los Angeles simply cannot solve the homeless crisis on its own.”
The homeless count was the first in the county since 2020, as the 2021 count was canceled due to Coronavirus prevention measures. For this reason, the Department of Housing and Urban Development exempted the county from conducting the count.
According to Kristina Dixon, interim LAHSA executive, “officials also warned that the system was in a unique situation this year, with more one-time federal pandemic assistance programs ending. That could lead to more housing insecurity and fewer resources for rehousing systems to respond.”
“Because homelessness is a lagging indicator, it is possible that future homeless counts could show significant increases,” she added.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority was originally going to release its data earlier this summer, but it was postponed due to a delay in validating the data.
Republican Rick Caruso, a candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, criticized the city’s reality, stating that “in a city as great as L.A., there is no excuse why our leaders have failed to address our homelessness crisis. These are 69,000 of our neighbors who need our help to get off the streets and receive the care they deserve.”
Joaquín Núñez es licenciado en comunicación periodística por la Universidad Católica Argentina. Se especializa en el escenario internacional y en la política nacional norteamericana. Confeso hincha de Racing Club de Avellaneda. Contacto: [email protected] // Joaquín Núñez has a degree in journalistic communication from the Universidad Católica Argentina. He specializes in the international scene and national American politics. Confessed fan of Racing Club of Avellaneda. Contact: [email protected]