On October 28, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority released its 2009 Homeless Count. There was remarkable news – the total number of persons counted in this latest survey decreased by 38% compared to the total number of homeless persons counted in 2007.
Among the 48,053 homeless individuals in the Los Angeles County Continuum of Care, the survey identifies 4,885 individuals in 1,840 homeless families in our community, reflecting a stunning 70% drop in homelessness among families with children during the last two years.
As agencies that advocate for and provide housing and services to homeless families throughout Los Angeles County, we have a unique perspective on these numbers.
The results of the survey suggest that our concentrated efforts and focus on successful strategies is making an impact on reducing the number of homeless families throughout Los Angeles. We have on our staffs experienced skilled professionals who understand the unique challenges associated with family homelessness. We have strong partnerships with public and private agencies committed to our common cause. Our program models are successfully demonstrating positive outcomes.
However, we feel that the 2009 Homeless Count substantially understates what those of us on the frontlines of addressing family homelessness are seeing on the street. A sampling of data from providers that focus on family homelessness indicates a 40% increase in family homelessness between 2007 and 2009. Confirming this perception, the Los Angeles County’s Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) recognized 7,500 homeless families in January 2009, the same month the Count was conducted, a 49% increase from April 2008.
Families who are homeless have been referred to as the hidden homeless: they typically are less visible than chronically homeless adults. They may live in an automobile or on a friend’s living room floor, and spend the day at the mall or a city park. With a child in a stroller, the family’s homeless condition is less noticeable to the public, or even to outreach workers. These are some of the reasons families are under-represented in the Homeless Count.
We fear these numbers will likely get worse before they get better. Family homelessness tends to lag behind unemployment by six to nine months. As we endure the worst economic plunge since the Great Depression and the unemployment rate soars past 12.7% across the region, we are bracing to support a surge in the number of homeless families.
If homelessness was truly decreasing in our community, we’d be the first to celebrate. However, our experiences on the frontlines indicate that the problem is getting worse.
For this reason, the release of the 2009 Homeless Count should be a call to action to continue investing in solutions that work. We need resources to dramatically accelerate the pace of affordable housing development and to provide more Section 8 housing vouchers for families. We need additional resources to help families who are currently homeless and those who are at risk of losing their housing in the near future. Most importantly, we need a regional, collaborative and aggressive approach to end family homelessness.
Despite surging demand and diminished resources, agencies across Los Angeles County that address family homelessness remain dedicated to battling this crisis. Let the 2009 Homeless Count be a call to all of us in Los Angeles to rededicate ourselves to addressing this unconscionable crisis once and for all.
Va Lecia Adams
Executive Director
St. Joseph Center
Jill Govan Bauman
President and CEO
ImagineLA
Rabbi Marvin Gross
CEO
Union Station Homeless Services
Stephanie Klasky-Gamer
President and CEO
LA Family Housing
Joel Roberts
CEO
Path Partners
Reverend Andy Bales
CEO
Union Rescue Mission
Devorah Brous
Executive Director
Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger & Homelessness
Tahia Hayslet
Executive Director
Harbor Interfaith
David Littlehales
Executive Director
Rio Hondo Temporary Home
David Snow
Executive Director
Upward Bound House
