Los Angeles County saw a 4.1% increase in the number of homeless people over 2020. Specifically, there are 69,144 homeless throughout the greater metropolitan area. Looking further into this number it shows that 41,980 people are homeless in the city of Los Angeles, an increase of 1.7% compared to 2020.
According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) report, the results were obtained from a count conducted over three nights in February. In 2021, the report was not made due to the pandemic.
Federal and local aid provided during the pandemic was able to keep people in their homes. But if the aid is terminated, the number of panhandlers in Los Angeles County is likely to increase, LAHSA acting co-director Molly Rysman said:
Our community is in a precarious situation. If these policies end, it is entirely possible that future homeless counts will show a significant increase. We need these critical policies to continue
Half of them of Hispanic origin
Nearly half of the homeless are of Latino or Hispanic origin (45%). Since 2020, the number of Hispanics forced to live on the street increased by 26%. Hilda Solis, county supervisor, expressed concern about the increase in Latino homelessness:
It is imperative that the county better understand and address the root causes that are driving the increase in Latino homelessness.
With respect to the rest of the communities, blacks represent 30% and the white population 21%. The remaining percentage (4%) belongs to other ethnic groups.
Another statistic reflected in the LAHSA report is the number of beggars with mental illness or drug addiction. Nearly 40% of homeless people suffer from these problems, although according to Kathryn Barger, an L.A. County Supervisor, those numbers are actually "higher. He cites a UCLA study that showed the figure to be closer to 50%.
