LA-area homelessness spike could get worse post-coronavirus
LOS ANGELES — The number of homeless people counted across Los Angeles County jumped 12.7% over the past year to more than 66,400 and authorities fear that figure will spike again once the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic is felt, officials said Friday.
January’s annual homelessness count came before the COVID-19 outbreak paralyzed the economy and pushed scores of people into unemployment — many of whom were already spending nearly half their earnings on rent in a city with a severe shortage of affordable housing. If there's one bright spot among the bleak figures, Marston said, it's that the coronavirus is forcing officials to get better at moving people inside rapidly. Some 6,000 homeless residents have been sheltered since the outbreak began, she said.
The county’s Homeless Services Authority said it helped nearly 22,770 people move into permanent housing during 2019 — a pace that would have helped rapidly end homelessness if economic pressures had not simultaneously pushed thousands more out of their homes. Of those counted who became homeless for the first time in 2019, the majority cited economic hardship as the primary cause, the authority said. The second most commonly named reason was unstable social networks.
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