CAUSES....Why are so many people homeless?

The causes can vary widely, but often homelessness and poverty are inextricably linked. People who are poor are frequently unable to pay for necessities such as housing, food, childcare, health care, and education. Being poor can mean a person is one illness, one accident, or one paycheck away from living on the streets. A recent annual survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors listed the top causes of homelessness among families and individuals as the following:

SINGLE ADULT INDIVIDUALS:
(1) lack of affordable housing*
(2) unemployment
(3) poverty
(4) mental illness and the lack of needed services
(5) substance abuse and the lack of needed services

FAMILIES:
(1) lack of affordable housing*
(2) unemployment
(3) poverty
(4) low wages


WHO CAN AFFORD RENT

Renters need to earn 2.8 times minimum wage to afford the average two-bedroom asking rent in Los Angeles County (2020).

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Renters in Los Angeles County need to earn $41.96 per hour — 2.8 times the City of Los Angeles minimum wage — to afford the average monthly asking rent of $2,182.

Bar graph Cost of Housing in LA 2020.png

In order for housing to be considered affordable, a family should not spend more than 30% of its income on rent. Thus, a working family needs to earn nearly $42 per hour – or roughly $87,000 per year – to afford the average rent in Los Angeles.

In Los Angeles, the median rent is 46.7% or nearly half of median income.

509,404 low-income renter households in the county do not have access to an affordable home.


SOLUTIONS...We Know What Works!

We know that permanent supportive housing works in reducing homelessness.  But it is also the most cost-effective way to do it. 

By reducing the use of crisis services frequently used by people experiencing homelessness—services like emergency rooms, hospitals, jails, prisons, psychiatric centers, detox programs—there is significant public cost savings. In fact, recent studies show that permanent supportive housing not only pays for itself but actually results in net public savings.


Effective Cost Solutions

Average annual cost of permanent supportive housing for one person verses public costs of one person living on the streets for a year.

We know that permanent supportive housing works in reducing homelessness.  But it is also is the most cost-effective way to end homelessness. It is also the most successful way to do it.

*Includes costs for: hospitals & clinics, paramedics, police/courts, jail & welfare services.
Source: ECONOMIC ROUNDTABLE, Where We Sleep


2020 GREATER LOS ANGELES HOMELESS COUNT SHOWED A 12.7% RISE IN HOMELESSNESS DESPITE SUSTAINED INCREASE IN NUMBER OF PEOPLE REHOUSED.

An average of 207 people exit homelessness every day—while 227 people become homeless.


For more information about causes & solutions for homelessness visit:

Housing California
www.housingca.org

Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH)
www.scanph.org

Home For Good – United Way of Greater LA
www.unitedwayla.org

National Alliance To End Homelessness
www.endhomelessness.org