Why does Los Angeles have so much homelessness?
When it comes to homelessness, almost every story pivots to California. The Golden State has about a fourth of the nation’s homeless population and nearly half of its street homeless population, making it a test kitchen for ideas, a subject of pity and scorn and a cautionary tale as homelessness grows around the country. So why is homelessness so much worse in Los Angeles than in other parts of the country, even as other cities also combat poverty, drug addiction and crime — and enjoy warm weather like L.A.’s?
Rulings by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals have made it harder for officials in California and other Western states to clear encampments. The Supreme Court could take up the issue early next year.
L.A. and D.C. are both grappling with the homeless crisis. But Washington looks and feels less saturated with homeless people than Los Angeles. Here’s why.
Many in Los Angeles and California support a legal right to housing. Here’s how that works in Scotland.
To people who believe drug addiction is to blame for L.A.’s tent cities, West Virginia presents a paradox. It leads the U.S. in overdose deaths per capita. But it has a low rate of homelessness.
Los Angeles County has about six times more homeless people living on the street per capita than Jackson’s five-county service area, according to local estimates and census data.
It’s a high-crime city with the country’s worst poverty rate — nearly 1 in 3 people meet the federal definition. But Detroit also has one of the nation’s lowest rates of homelessness.
Jacksonville, Fla., has a good track record for moving homeless people off the streets. But as the city continues to grow, local builders and advocates worry about creating another housing crisis like the one in Los Angeles.
