(Rosa Bautista) Homelessness in Los Angeles

Homelessness in Los Angeles

In this chart, there is a small decrease in homelessness from 2008-2009. However, not for sheltered homelessness, there is somewhat of an increase. 

• Then with chronically homeless individuals, there's no change from 2009-2016 
• Unsheltered homeless there is a decrease from 2008-2014
• Unfortunately for total hopelessness, there's a rise in 2016

The homeless population in California outnumbered the combined homeless populations of Florida, Illinois, Washington, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Texas.

California homelessness Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved April 09, 2021, from https://www.usich.gov/homelessness-statistics/ca/

In this chart unlike the other will depict the Homeleness in Los Angeles County 

Total homelessness experienced a abrupt drop from 2008-2009; 

-Each population like total homelessness, unsheltered, chronically homeless, sheltered and veterans sheltereed homelesnses were the only ones that did not experience a drop.

-Sheltered homelessness has an increase from years 2007-2011. 

-However, there was a decline in 2011-2016

-There was no information for veterans until it was collected in 2011 

-Total homelessness has an increase in 2012-2017 

Trash overides the city of Los Angeles because many homlesss pick up trash from other places. They see that it is not suited for their needs and dump illegally in the streets. There are no trash cans available for them. 

The streets of Skid Row are over populated with homelessness. It seems as if there is not enough space for them. Many of these camp out, outside of the facility where they are able to get food for the day. Mnay campu out because food is scarce and they are not guaranteed a plate of food. Sometimes they wait in line for hours just to be told that there is no more plates of food. 

                                 

Many of the homeless population are substance abuse users. Their choice of drugs are heroin. As you can see these needles are used to inject themselves with herion and are very dangerous because these needles pollute our streets. 

Why is homelessness bad? 

The biggest reason why homeless is bad it’s because it’s a public health issue. This population lacks health

care. When this population is already dealing with health issues, they affiliate themselves with chronically

ill others. The fact that they have to live in harsh living conditions doesn’t help their situations. When they

have to use the restroom, they can’t go inside a public toilet because of their status and because they might

be terminally ill or carry transmitted diseases—forcing them to defecate on themselves or in public,

causing the streets to be filthy of human liquids—having homeless people in the streets bad for themselves

and for us that go out in public. Homelessness is an economic problem.

How can we eliminate homelessness? 

Many people don't know that a straightforward manner can go ahead and eliminate homeless not only in Los Angeles but all over the world. Suppose we were to adequate the proper resources that are needed for the homeless population. I believe that we could end homelessness. This ties back to the fact that they provide better healthcare, better living conditions, and better areas that are constantly getting upgrades to those already rich. At the same time, the city and the government leave out the poor. The article, The business case for ending homelessness, states, “As current President of the Board of Homeward Bound of Asheville, I have learned that housing ends homelessness. It is that simple. And housing provides the stability that people need to address unemployment, addiction, mental illness, and physical health. [M]oving people from homelessness and housing results in significant improvements in health and access to healthcare” (Garrett, 2012.) The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. This will forever remain if we didn't start providing the homeless with the correct resources, which is housing.

Research

Unfortunately, the homeless population needs the most help regarding shelter, mental health care, health care, housing, and income. They seem to be the minuscule population to be receiving any help. The article, More than Spare change it states, “Studies on fiscal federalism have argued that competition between local governments prevents leaders from spending much, if anything, to assist the homeless (Laniyonu, 2020.) This is why this population will continue to pollute the streets with trash, needles, the increased danger of abuse and violence, increased chance of entering the criminal justice system, and development of behavioral problems. 

They are not receiving the help that they need. They will continue to do what they know best and not in a positive manner. I believe that many of these homeless cause mayhem in the streets as an act of cry. There are veterans, women, men, and children that are in these streets. The system sometimes fails them. They were wronged, they have one lousy lapse into drugs, they were once living everyday life, and something suddenly happened. Because they are in the streets does not mean that their lives do not matter. We need to do better as a society to help the homeless population. We need to put forward our effort to eliminate the homeless in a first-world country. 

Personal

This issue is relevant to me, and it affects me because I live 5 minutes away from Downtown Los Angeles. I have a daughter. There is not a time that we are driving down the street, and you have a homeless man or woman that is naked and screaming bloody murder in the middle of the street. I have to make my daughter turn around or cover my ears constantly. To prevent any trauma or to keep her from hearing the foul words coming from their mouths. It’s genuinely a saddening situation, and I don't blame them. They just don't have the help that they need. 

I chose this topic because I know what it is like to be homeless and not be able to allocate the resources that you need. My mother was a single parent with six children in the streets. We were evacuated from our home with a two days notice that the bank had bought the property in which we lived. This was a nightmare for my mother and my siblings. We could not find housing that fits a total of ten of us in a home overnight. We searched and looked, and no one would take us. I experienced living in a park whereas a seven-year-old I was offered drugs and alcohol. 

Some children are not able to recover from living in the streets. Many have mental health issues and trauma after they have lived in the streets. The article, Emotional and behavioral problems and severe academic delays among sheltered homeless children in Los Angeles County, states, “ Almost all school-age sheltered homeless children in Los Angeles County have symptoms of depression, a behavioral problem, or academic delay severe enough to merit a clinical evaluation, yet few receive specific care. Programs targeted at sheltered homeless school-age children are needed to close this gap.” I know what it is like to be living everyday life, and from one day to another, you are in the streets asking for money and hoping that nothing happens to you. 

These photos hit a susceptible spot in my heart. As I write this, I am crying. I did not think that this assignment would do this to me. I am blessed to no longer be in the position. However, this topic is critical to me. Because I know that these children may not even be in school because you need an address for you to be attending school. I hope that I will be a slight change in people's lives. I hope that I can help this population in the future.

References 

Ayobami Laniyonu, S. (2020, February 28). More than Spare change: A case study of contact 

and voter support for the homeless in Los Angeles County, California - AYOBAMI

Laniyonu, Shakari BYERLY, 2020 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2021, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/figure/10.1177/1078087420905337

California homelessness Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved April 09, 2021, from 

https://www.usich.gov/homelessness-statistics/ca/

Garrett, D. (2012, January). The business case for ending homelessness: Having a home 

improves health, reduces healthcare utilization and costs. Retrieved April 10, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4046466/#:~:text=And%20housing%20provides%20the%20stability,mental%20illness%2C%20and%20physical%20health.&text=Ending%20homelessness%20is%20not%20only,the%20healthcare%20system%20as%20well.

Zima, B., Freeman, H., & Wells, K. (2011, October 07). The American Journal of public 

Health (AJPH) from the American Public Health Association (apha) publications. Retrieved April 10, 2021, from https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.84.2.260