The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) estimates that there are 46,874 homeless individuals in the county. The number of people sleeping on the streets, in parks, in cars and other locations in the City of Angels increased by 11 percent in 2016 and by 5.7 percent across the county.
Homelessness has been a persistent problem in Los Angeles for years. Skid Row in downtown LA has been dubbed “The Homeless Capital of the World”. Venice is known to have one of the highest concentration of homeless individuals outside of Skid Row although the figures have dropped by 23 percent since 2015.
The overwhelming majority of the county’s homeless population consists of the chronically homeless, African-Americans, those who suffer from mental health issues and those who struggle with substance abuse. Women make up 61 percent of the homeless population increase over the last three years.
Contributing factors
- Low supply – The 2016 State of the Nation’s Housing report by Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Study stated that the county needs 382,000 residential units in order to meet the needs of extremely low-income renters. LA has the fewest available rental units of any of the nation’s biggest cities despite its continual growth and efforts to increase the housing stock.
- Lack of affordable housing – Los Angeles residents spend half their income on housing on average. Since 2015, the county’s rental rates have been rising at a much faster rate than the rest of California. The local real estate market leans more towards luxury condos than affordable housing.
- Gentrification – The gentrification of downtown LA and Venice has lowered the number of cheap hotel rooms, low-cost motels and single-room apartments that serve as refuge for extremely low and low-income renters.
Supportive housing
LA county is offering private landlords direct financial incentives to help combat homelessness. The Homeless Incentive Program (HIP) encourages landlords to take in subsidized tenants who have vouchers issued by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA).
The program aims to secure safe and sanitary residences for those who qualify for HACLA’s homeless housing assistance.
It has the following components:
- Holding fee – Landlords who hold available residential units for homeless individuals or families receive a month’s free rent or an amount of approximately $1,500 depending on the size of the unit
- Move-in assistance – The program offers move-in assistance like funding for security deposits, utility assistance and basic furniture.
- Damage claims – HIP extends financial assistance that cover damage caused by tenants during their stay.
Other solutions being explored by LA county and city include:
- Incentives for the Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program
- Expansion of the Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool, a locally-funded rental assistance program
- Strengthening of Rapid Re-Housing programs which provide short-term rental assistance to households experiencing financial problems
These programs give multifamily property owners the opportunity to help down-and-out Angelinos change their lives for the better without sacrificing their bottom line.
Over 14,000 private landlords participate in HACLA’s efforts to provide decent housing for homeless individuals and families at reasonable rental rates. Click here to find out how you can be one of them.
