The number of people experiencing homelessness in LA County has jumped 12% since 2019, according to preliminary results of the 2020 Homeless count released on Friday.
The numbers were released by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which conducted its annual count across the county in January. Here are some highlights from the results:
This year’s Count revealed that two-thirds of the unsheltered adults experiencing homelessness were homeless for the first time last year, and 59% of them cited economic hardship as the cause.
Homelessness starts rising when median rents in a region exceed 22% of median income and rises even more sharply at 32%; in Los Angeles, the median rent is 46.7% or nearly half of median income.
The number of seniors 62 and over rose 20%, an alarming increase receiving sharp focus during the pandemic.
As was the case last year, the number of veterans remained relatively steady (0.6% increase), demonstrating that deploying more resources to house people gets results. Veterans have been the focus of the most federal, state and local investment over the past decade.
80% of unsheltered Angelenos have lived here for more than five years. Two-thirds of unsheltered Angelenos became homeless in Los Angeles County.
Numbers by city for the 2020 count will be released at a later date, but data available from previous counts indicates an upward trend. The number of homeless in Culver City increased to 236 in 2019, up from 116 the previous year, representing a 103% increase in two years.
Elizabeth Moss
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