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The Homeless Population Jumped 12% in Los Angeles over Last 2 Years. “It’s Everywhere Now. The Encampments Are in Residential Neighborhoods, They’re Outside Of Schools..
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Ahmerica, Home of the Brave, Land of the Free…
The homeless population jumped 12% in the last two years in both the city and county of Los Angeles, according to figures released Monday, demonstrating the continuing difficulty of taming the problem amid soaring rents, low wages and stubbornly high unemployment.
Countywide, 44,359 homeless people were tallied in January, up from 39,461 in a 2013 survey, according to a biennial report by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. Well over half — 25,686 — were in the city of Los Angeles.
Veteran homelessness dropped 6% countywide, to 4,363, but the report did not break out a comparable number for the city. Mayor Eric Garcetti and federal officials have pledged to house every homeless veteran by the end of the year.
The number of tents, makeshift encampments and vehicles with people living in them soared 85%.
“It’s everywhere now; the encampments are in residential neighborhoods, they’re outside of schools,” said L.A. City Councilman Mike Bonin, who represents Venice. “It’s jarring. … It shows we’ve got a … lot of work ahead.”
Advocates for the homeless blamed public officials.
“The city and county have done such a terribly poor job of creating affordable housing, basically they’ve ignored the issue,” said Steve Clare, executive director of Venice Community Housing.
