By: Emily Ao

Homelessness has long been a problem in L.A, since WWII when housing became unaffordable for residents. In recent years, annual data collecting services showed no signs of improvement. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic also led to mass economic decline; with a lack of affordable housing and inflation of basic needs, many had no choice but to move onto the streets.

When Mayor Karen Bass first took office in 2022, she was determined to move people off the streets and into motel rooms, where they would receive proper shelter and care. Belongings were removed from alleyways and sidewalks were cleared of obstruction as Bass’s efforts continuously helped thousands of homeless people move into permanent housing.

Throughout the city, outreach workers collected data on the amount of homeless people they saw on the street. They even interviewed some, gathering information on how long they have been living on the streets, and also factors that led to homelessness in the first place.

Last week, an article in the New York Times reported that based on the cumulative data, the overall percentage of homeless or unsheltered people in L.A. decreased for the first time in six years, at 2.2%. While that may not seem like a significant decrease, Bass and her team are in high hopes for a better future. “It shows some signs of progress, or at least, bending the curve,” Dr. Margot Kushel, director of the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at the University of California, San Francisco, says.

Decrease means progress, and progress is all they need to keep up their efforts.