The Issue of Homelessness in Downtown Los Angeles Skid Row

This study was about analyzing the homelessness issue in Downtown, Los Angeles Skid Row. This was a primary study and survey to collect data on encampments in Skid Row. The Geohub application was used to add layers and to conduct hotspots. The hotspots showed a higher concentration of homelessness in or near the CBD, shown in red shaded areas located on the maps. Unaffordable housing and unemployment were the causes of this issue. Some key findings were that the encampments were contiguous and noncontiguous. Also, the encampments had one person tents, to two or more person tents. There should be a policy applied and implemented on this issue such as affordable housing because it is unconstitutional for the homeless to be treated both unequally and unfairly. 

The issue of homelessness is extremely important because a great percent of individuals are homeless. Some are homeless due to unemployment and most importantly some are homeless due to the unavailability of affordable housing. Especially, with the current situation that is going on with the coronavirus safer at home policy. How are the homeless supposed to “shelter in place” or “be safer at home,” when they live on the streets and do not have a shelter or safe haven. Housing should be a right for every single individual. The article titled “Ten Facts About Homelessness in the U.S.,” by (Leins,2019) and the book called Urban Issues: The CQ Researcher, both represent the homeless issue. There is a downward trend in homeless from the year 2017 through 2019, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness (2019). In 2019 there were about 567,715 homeless people. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, majority concentration of the homeless population was from five states. States such as California, New York, Florida, and Washington. California was the top state to experience homelessness. Also, New York City, Los Angeles City and County were amongst the top as well. More than twenty percent lived in California about thirteen percent lived in New York, about eight percent in Florida, and five percent in Texas. California was a hotspot for the homeless, consisting with the highest amount of homeless people (Leins, 2019).  

 Homelessness is an issue that is caused by a number of reasons. Such reasons are unemployment, low income, poverty, and lack of affordable housing. The ratio of males is higher than females in the homeless. Because men are homeless due to unemployment and health issues, whereas women are homeless due to escaping domestic violence. The issue of homelessness has gotten worse with the lack of unaffordable housing for the homeless and unemployment. In order for the homeless to be able to afford housing they need to meet fifty percent of the area median income. For example, a minimum wage worker needs to work about 127 hours per week to be able to afford housing in the U.S. Which for the homeless is impossible because housing is so expensive and they do not make the income needed to be able to afford housing. Income tends to become a major issue with housing because they cannot afford it and there is also the lack of affordable housing. Rent has increased significantly and affordable housing has decreased which may cause a crisis in the homeless population.     

           Elijah Anderson, a sociologist, said that urban life that exists in ghettos, and urban areas with a segregated normality was known as the “Cosmopolitan Canopy.” This represents Downtown Los Angeles because there is a diverse community in Downtown, Los Angeles. Starting from the lower and under class areas like Skid Row and moving to the urban areas such as Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. With the hotspot concentration of the homeless population more around the CBD, there is a need for a policy to be placed. Housing is a right and every homeless person deserves at the bare minimum to have the right for housing and descent income to be able to afford daily necessities (Leins, 2019). Housing is a right because it is the least individuals can have and it is certainly unconstitutional. 

(Katel, 2014), examined issues of homelessness and housing by redlining, unaffordable housing, and owner and rental statistics. The history of homelessness dates a while back, as far back as the 1950s. In 1929, the stock market crashed and led to the Great Depression. The Great Depression led to an enormous amount of unemployment and homelessness. By 1933, more than one million people were homeless. Under the Roosevelt’s administration of the New Deal, they provided shelter and jobs for the people. Jobs like public work projects such as construction, building bridges, roads, and more. They would receive housing in camps, food, and a small wage in effort for their work. Secondly, to end homelessness Congress gave five hundred million-dollar grants to states to offer food, shelter, jobs, and other necessities for people who needed them which included the homeless as well. Following this, the Federal Transit Program was also established which created camps for the homeless. Until today, homelessness still remains a contemporary issue, however this issue seems to be decreasing. More than half of U.S. cities ban homeless to sit on sidewalk or streets, according to the National Law Center on Homelessness. Anti- homelessness laws may help to recover from homelessness, but consequences may still follow because this is certainly not constitutional. Homeless people should have the rights as others do when it comes to affordable housing, decent wages to be able to survive. According to research, affordable housing may be an answer to end homelessness. Especially housing where individuals may be able to afford rent and therefore not become homeless. Housing should be a right for every individual. Dating back in history segregation of whites and blacks was common as well. Whites and Blacks lived in different segregated parts of cities and towns. Residential segregation was an outcome by the law. In the twentieth century, home ownership was an advantage for whites, but a disadvantage for blacks. In transition, this is where redlining and the role of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD come into play. Redlining is a policy where the Federal government administration used redlining to discriminate against minorities in the housing market. The FHA created practices and policies to social engineer at the local, state, and regional level segregation through real estate companies, banks, law firms and corporations. In order to exclude minorities from the same opportunities given to the majority who are the white population. This was termed as institutional racism. Redlining has occurred back in history and still continues today as it is practiced by HUD. As mentioned by (Katel, 2014), this type of segregation does not go away by night. Inserting affordable or subsidized housing into the suburbs is not going to be an easy task. This was why the redlining on housing was used by HUD. In order to segregate the people from being able to live anywhere they desired. Next to poor opportunities like good schools for the next generation, good jobs, and services. Certain housing programs such as Section 8 puts a limit on being able to find housing in decent neighborhoods. Currently 50% of area median income in Los Angeles is 55,000.000 dollars. Currently, HUD’s fair housing enforcement is trying to desegregate U.S. cities. This will improve housing as a right and there will be less segregation issues. The restoration of affordable housing may decrease the homelessness issue (Patel, 2014). 

The database that was used to describe homelessness in Downtown Los Angeles, Skid Row was the Geohub. Surveys were collected then the surveys were added to the Geohub after you and other students collected the data. The Geohub can be used to navigate and add layers in order to measure and analyze the homeless population by cities as well as countries. The layers that were used were called, “Skid Row Homeless Survey Census Blocks,” “Skid Row Homeless Encampment Survey,” “LA Times Neighborhood Boundaries,” “LA Times Neighborhood Income Risk Map,” “2019 USA Unemployment Rate,” “Hotspot for 1-Person tent,” “Point Cluster for 5 or more 1 person tent,” and lastly the specific layer I worked on was the “LA Times Neighborhoods Residential.” The residential layer which had the owner and renter data The attributes showed owner and renter options were very low in the CBD as compared to Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. Less individuals rented and in fact owned property near the CBD than they did in prestige cities with more income per capita. 

In conclusion, the Geohub application is an excellent tool to use to measure and analyze homelessness in Los Angeles. Certain layers can be added to the maps to learn more about them. There are certain social issues surrounding homelessness. For example, as mentioned in the introduction, poverty, unemployment, lack of affordable housing, and redlining are all social issues that may lead to homelessness.

           Findings show lower income areas such as, Downtown are less prone to own housing as compared to rent. In places like Skid Row, individuals are more likely to not be able to afford housing and therefore become homeless. Although the issue of homelessness is declining from 2017-2019, it is not because there are no more homeless people left. It is because there is no affordable housing in or around the CBD, so this cause a displacement pressure for the homeless to leave. Prices are so high for rent and the homeless cannot afford to pay rent. In order to pay rent, they need to earn fifty percent of the median income which they do not. With price so high they are under displacement pressure to leave the CBD area. This is why the hotspots for the homeless count is shrinking year by year.

           As mentioned, in the literature review housing should be a right. This should be a policy implication for the homeless. There should be a policy applied because there are a lot of hotspots for homelessness. Maybe the idea of affordable housing should become available for the homeless, so they can be able to afford rent therefore not have a chance at becoming homeless instead. 

ArcGIS application

Katel, P. (2014). Urban Issues: Selections from CQ Researchers (8th edition). CQ Press.

Leins, C. (2019, Sep23). Ten Facts About Homelessness in the U.S. Retrieved September 23, 2019.