Yanwen Fan Fan 1

Dr. Philip Broadbent

Writing 39C

25 April 2018

Why LA exists the serious homeless problem and why the problem are

still worsening?

(A story telling homeless life here)

No matter you are a visitor or a resident of the city, you’ll see the same scene: people

without permanent housing staying in the shelter abandoned building or vehicle; or in any other

unstable or non-permanent situation. Streets are common place for them to live. They called

homeless people.
 Based on data released in 2017, there are 23 percent more people live on the Los Angeles

County streets. Volunteers of Homeless Services Authority counted that the LA county has about

47000 homeless people in 2016, up 5.7% from 2015. And now there are 58000. Chronic

homelessness has risen 54% since 2013 and Los Angeles is the third most homeless city in the

world---beating Mumbai and Mexico City. The reason why there are so many homeless people

in LA was given by Peter Lynn, executive director of the Los Angeles County Homeless

Authority: some are leaving a violent situation at home; some are left on their own because of

the death of a loved one – a spouse or a parent, who they would relied upon; some can’t pay their

rent, so without options they take to the street. As rental costs soar in LA, more and more LA

residents become destitute. Since 2013, Los Angeles County rents have increased an average of 8

percent. Over 60 percent of Los Angeles residents spend more than a third of their total income
on rent alone. “People are out there mostly because they can’t afford a place to

sleep,” remarked L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti in an interview.

Homeless problem has been talked about above, so how homeless people become

problems? (relation between homeless people and crime& other problem)

 The government in LA County spends an average of $1 billion a year to help homeless

people, most of the money spent on their health needs. More than half of the $577 million in

health spending went to mental health treatment, and another $294 million was for cash benefits

and food support. Funding for the plans is not a problem yet. “In November 2016, city voters

approved Proposition HHH, a $1.2 billion bond measure that property taxpayers will be paying

off for the next 29 years, which promises to construct 10,000 new permanent supportive and

affordable housing units in the city over the next decade. And in March 2017, county voters

approved a 10-year sales-tax hike that will generate some $355 million a year for an

accompanying basket of social services including mental health, substance-abuse treatment,

health care, job training, and so on.” (Homelessness in California is much harder to fix than
we’re pretending. Look at L.A.) However, the measures government takes does not have too

much effect. (Starting from housing assignment)

The “audience” of the problem: sheltered and unsheltered homeless people, residents living close

to or affected by homeless encampments, businesses, the community, media, county officials,

state officials, and federal officials. They are the stakeholders. The government made policies,

(see the term) which made an increase in homelessness. The businesses complained about the

burglary caused by homeless people and there was no cost for them because some legal

problems. The resident protested tent city, they thought homeless people made their children and

their lives at risk.

The term of the problem: It started with Assembly Bill 109, passed in 2011. The idea of

“realignment” was to ease prison overcrowding in California by simply redefining those crime as

“less serious” and “less violent”. In this case, the city of El Cajon, has seen a 35 percent increase

in homelessness. Many beach communities have seen over 100 percent increases.

Next, proposition 47 was approved in 2014, this law also kept people out of prison.

In 2015, a Supreme Court case limited a city’s ability to criminalize panhandling. Cities cannot

enforce vagrancy laws unless they have cooperation from the District Attorney’s Office, which

that office is loath to provide. Cities are constantly under pressure from the ACLU and local

grand juries to open the parks for the homeless, allow tent cities and refrain from “harassing the

homeless.”

In 2017, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 180, which limits the ability of law enforcement to

send chronic drug abusers back to prison.

The situation of the problem: homeless people are everywhere: the commercial district of San

Francisco & Los Angeles; Newport Beach & Laguna Beach; Santa Anna. LA has nation’s worst

homeless problem. The homeless people live in the streets and shelters of the city of LA and the

number of them in most of the county surged 75% in the last six years. Many homeless people

suffer from mental illnesses and some of them are prisoners set free which are dangerous for the

resident. They do drugs, drink alcohol to lessen the symptom of their illness. They cause criminal

events. (Data needs to be researched)

Works Cited

(format wait to be revised)

Bill Wells, Why California Legislature deserves blame for increase in homelessness, The San

Diego Union-Tribune, November 2 2017.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/sd-utbg-homelessness-california-

legislature-20171102-story.html

Toussaint S. Bailey, Richards, Watson & Gershon, Local Government Strategies for Addressing

Homelessness: Avoid Litigation and Do Some Good, May 5 2016.

https://www.cacities.org/Resources-Documents/Member-Engagement/Professional-

Departments/City-Attorneys/Library/2016/Spring-2016/5-2016-Spring-Local-Government-

Strategies-for-Addr.aspx

Spencer Custodio, Hundreds Protest Irvine Homeless Shelter; Supervisors Start Addressing

Concerns, March 25 2018

https://voiceofoc.org/2018/03/hundreds-protest-irvine-homeless-shelter-supervisors-start-

addressing-concerns/

Campaign to Change Residents' Attitude Toward Homeless Housing Gets Underway

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Campaign-to-Aid-Homeless-Initiatives-Gets-

Underway-476434443.html

Homeless in California tell their stories to roving photographer

https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/11/07/homeless-san-jose-california-tell-stories/

Jordan Graham, For Orange County’s homeless population, 2017 was the second deadliest year

on record, January 17 2018.

https://www.ocregister.com/2018/01/17/for-orange-countys-homeless-population-2017-was-the-

second-deadliest-year-on-record/

Homelessness in California is much harder to fix than we’re pretending. Look at L.A.

http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article201209684.html

The Alarming Rise in Homelessness Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story

https://slate.com/business/2017/12/a-dramatic-increase-in-homelessness-in-los-angeles-accounts-

for-the-first-national-increase-in-nearly-a-decadeif-you-believe-the-numbers.html

The faces of Skid Row: Photographer shares stories of the homeless living in LA's 'square mile of misery'

where tents line the streets and people shoot crack and heroin in broad daylight
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5071269/AP-photographer-shares-experience-

documenting-homelessness.html

MADNESS IN THE STREETS: MENTAL ILLNESS,

HOMELESSNESS AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR

https://www.bestmswprograms.com/mental-illness-homelessness-criminal-behavior/