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Los Angeles' homeless crisis goes from bad to worse
[BBC] Homelessness in Los Angeles County soared by 23% in the past year and it shows. The problem has become tangible and inescapable, with makeshift tent encampments cropping up across the sprawling metropolis.Tourists are shocked to find themselves stepping over people draped in filthy blankets and begging on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. Shop owners routinely swill the pavements to wash away urine and the accompanying stench. "For the 31 years that I've been involved with homelessness... it has gotten worse far worse than I've ever seen before," says Ted Hayes, a long-time activist. Hayes says gentrification of the downtown area has begun to scatter a previously concentrated homeless population across the city. The yearly homeless count in Los Angeles County rose to 58,000 in 2017, up from 46,874 in 2016. Neighbouring areas, such as Orange County, are also experiencing the same upwards trend. Young people - aged 18-24 - are the fastest growing group of homeless people, up 64%. And children without a home increased 41%. "Something is shifting right now, we're all noticing it," Kerry Morrison, executive director of the Hollywood Property Owners Alliance says. "We could viscerally feel that something was changing maybe about two years ago." Morrison believes the problem has worsened because of combination of factors, with rising housing costs in the city at the top of that list. "The cost of housing is far outpacing the increase in incomes." Another potential factor is California's drive to reduce the prison population. The state has committed to new rules that mean nearly 9,500 people will be released early. Morrison believes that in some cases, they also end up on the streets. There's also what she describes as the "attraction" of the Golden State to Americans who find themselves in dire economic circumstances. "California seems to have this allure," she says. "'Go west and stake your claim. Make your future here.'" Posted by: Skidmark 2017-07-20 |
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