By: Sammy Wang
On June 28, 2024, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) announced that the homeless rate in Los Angeles was declining. Comparing the homeless population from 2023 with 2024, there has been a 17% decrease which creates hope for the problem of homelessness in LA.
The reason homelessness has been decreasing is because of the investments of L.A Mayor, Karen Bass. Since 2022, she’s invested more than $1 billion into homeless shelters and longer-term housing, which has proven to be fruitful
“For so many years, the count has shown increases in homelessness, and we have all felt that in our neighborhoods. But we leaned into change. And we have changed the trajectory of this crisis and have moved L.A. in a new direction,” say Bass. “There is nothing we cannot do by taking on the status quo, putting politics aside, and rolling up our sleeves to work together.”
“For the first time in a very long time, we are seeing a reduction —a significant reduction, over 10% — in the number of people on our streets,” said Councilmember Nights Raman. She is part of the council’s housing and homeless committee.
While the rate of people living on the streets decreased, the number of people living in shelters undoubtedly increased.
One of the main factors of homelessness in LA is expensive housing and rent prices that seem to never decrease.
“Unfortunately, the root causes of homelessness are as strong as ever,” said Paul Rubenstein, who leads external affairs at the L.A. Homeless Services Authority, which oversaw the count. “To prevent homelessness, the Los Angeles region must reverse decades of under building affordable housing, help more people achieve economic stability, and address the shrinking social safety net.”
With homeless rates finally decreasing in LA, citizens are finding hope that the numbers will remain low in the future.
Sources:
https://mayor.lacity.gov/news/change-la-homelessness-down-city-la-first-time-years-following-urgent-action-taken-mayor-bass
https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/los-angeles-homeless-count-drop-unsheltered
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/los-angeles-sees-first-drop-in-homeless-population-in-years/
https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-homeless-population-karen-bass-733fc2246efdfd46c9c7737b4b208960#:~:text=synthetic%20opioid%20fentanyl.-,There%20is%20no%20single%20reason%20why%20Los%20Angeles%20became%20a,for%20officials%20to%20clear%20encampments.