{ Homeless Studies }

Homelessness in Los Angeles County
 

There are over 68,000 homeless men, women and children in Los Angeles County. Every number is a real person. And every person has their reasons: domestic violence, mental illness, the economy or simply "my mommy brought me here."

Some are safe for the night in emergency shelters. Some are working their way toward self-sufficiency in transitional housing. Some sleep on the streets or in abandoned buildings, hungry, dirty, and in harm's way.

Whether or not they have roofs over their heads, these individuals call Los Angeles their home just like the rest of us.

TO LEARN MORE:

• The Los Angeles Housing Authority http://www.hacla.org
• The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority http://lahsa.org
• The 2007 Los Angeles Homeless count http://www.lahsa.org/2007homelesscountreport.asp
• The 2009 Los Angeles Homeless count http://www.lahsa.org/docs/HC09/Homeless-Count-2009-Report.pdf
• The 2011 Los Angeles Homeless count http://www.lahsa.org/docs/2011-Homeless-Count/HC11-Detailed-Geography-Report-FINAL.PDF

 Key Findings of the 2011 Survey

• Homelessness is over all down in both LA county (decreased 3%) and the city of LA (decreased 9%) from 2009.
• The breakdown of homelessness by ethnicity is as follows: 43.7% African American, 27.7% Latino, 24.9% Caucasian/White, 2.3% Asian/Pacific Islaner, and 1.4% American Indian/Alaska Native.
• Nearly 34% of chronically homeless individuals are 55 or older.
• The largest representation of homeless indivudals (62.5%) are 25-54 years old.
• The disabled population represented in the study reports 33% of homeless individuals have a mental illness, 34% suffer from substance abuse, and 22% have physial disabilities.
• 2011 reports show 18% of homeless individuals are veterans (a 3% increase from 2009).

Annualized Numbers

• A homeless resource directory http://www.homeless.org.au/directory/us-california-los-angeles.htm
• HUD references to Homelessness www.hud.gov/homeless/index.cfm
• HUD Resource Guide for Service Providers http://www.hudhre.info/
• Homeless Article www.endhomelessness.org/content/article/detail/1440