The number of homeless people in Los Angeles County jumped by nearly 6 percent over the past year to 46,874, in part due to a “historic” housing shortage, authorities said on Wednesday.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority said in its report that the increase came about despite a reduction in the number of homeless veterans and homeless families.
Homelessness among veterans dropped by 30 percent across the county, while the number of homeless families fell by 18 percent, largely thanks to an increase in funding by the US federal government.
“Homelessness responds to resources,” authority executive director Peter Lynn said. “When we have systematically applied city, county and federal resources, we see results.”
According to the report, the number of homeless people in the city of Los Angeles jumped by 11 percent while other areas in the county saw larger increases.
The vast majority of the county’s homeless — 34,527 — are without shelter, the authority said, meaning that they are living in tents, shantytowns or vehicles.
“Despite our progress, Los Angeles is facing a historic housing shortage, a staggering mental health crisis and veterans are becoming homeless every day,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.
“As a city, we have launched efforts to tackle these issues, securing record federal investments in supportive services for veteran families, producing a comprehensive homelessness strategy report and expanding a robust winter shelter program. This year, we are doubling down on our work,” he added.
Garcetti in September last year joined several other elected officials outside his office, blocks away from the city’s notorious Skid Row, to announce a plan to spend US$100 million to eradicate homelessness.
However, critics say that while such measures are welcome they fail to address the core issue of the loss of affordable housing.
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