What’s true, what’s not about LA homelessness
Numbers from the 2019 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count are out, showing nearly 59,000 people experienced homelessness in L.A. County, a stunning 12% increase over last year’s count. Beyond the numbers, many frustrated Angelenos care deeply about but don’t fully understand this complex problem. USC experts are here to answer the tough questions, debunk the biggest myths about what drives people to become homeless and discuss how we find real solutions to the crisis.
Contact: Ron Mackovich, rmackovi@usc.edu or (213) 810-8583 or Jenesse Miller, jenessem@usc.edu or (213) 810-8554
The misconceptions
- People are homeless because of their own bad choices. Everyone makes bad choices, and people who end up experiencing homelessness are no different. Often the difference between whether a choice leads to homelessness has to do with the amount of resources one has available and/or his or her privilege.
- Homelessness is driven by economic crises. While it is true that the experience of an economic crisis can result in individuals or families becoming homeless, high rates of homelessness have increasingly become a sign of economic boom. That is, homelessness is driven more by inequality created by economic prosperity than it is simply by poverty.
- People who experience homelessness come to Los Angeles because homeless services are relatively well funded (i.e. build it and they will come). While it’s true that Los Angeles has significantly increased the amount of funding allocated to housing and services for its homeless population, there is no evidence that shows people experiencing homelessness are moving to L.A. In fact, the data shows that most people previously had housing in L.A. before becoming homeless. This myth is built on the faulty logic that people who become homeless accept this fate and then make a rational decision and have the resources to choose the “best place to be homeless.”
Benjamin Henwood is an assistant professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. He is an expert in mental health and housing services and co-author of the book, “Housing First,” which examines a paradigm-shifting approach that does not demand sobriety or treatment for permanent housing.
The dangers of misinformation
- Homeless people are dangerous.People experiencing homelessness are more likely to become victims of crime than persons who are not experiencing homelessness. Women living outdoors are at particular risk of sexual assault, with studies indicating that the majority experience such assault. The myth that persons without a place to call home are dangerous, is dangerous – for the persons without homes.
- You can’t help the homeless. Most people who fall into homelessness are not experiencing mental illness or challenges with substance use, but rather because they have insufficient resources to pay for increasingly unaffordable housing. For those homeless persons who are suffering from health issues including mental illness and substance use, housing with supportive services is an effective solution – so effective that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has supported housing as a solution to homelessness through both Republican and Democratic administrations.
Suzanne Wenzel is the Richard and Ann Thor Professor in Urban Social Development, and chair of the Department of Adult Mental Health and Wellness in the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and a steering committee member and research partner with the Homelessness Policy Research Institute.
