Between 2010 and 2018, landlords filed 505,924 eviction proceedings in Los Angeles County Superior Court, a figure that the report, titled “Priced Out, Pushed Out, Locked Out,” calls “shocking” and “staggering.
The county has made enormous investments in addressing homelessness, but these efforts are not enough, says Nisha Vyas, director of Public Counsel’s homelessness prevention law project. What we’re seeing is that as soon as people are housed in shelters, they’re replaced on the streets by people who are newly homeless.
Los Angeles County Homeless Services Authority’s 2019 Homeless Count, which found that while 24,493 homeless residents were placed into interim housing in 2018, about 37,000 homeless residents were without shelter for the first time.
The report’s authors also reiterated alarming statistics on the number of residents in Los Angeles who are rent burdened, meaning they spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent. According to an analysis of 26 point-in-time Southern California homelessness counts, an estimated 600,000 LA County residents spend 90 percent of their income on rent.
There is a devastating connection between the county’s lack of tenant protections and its increased rates of homelessness.
Its a proven fact; the importance of keeping renters in their home to help stabilize communities. Households that stay intact can help build generational wealth, leading to public investments in parks, streets, and schools.
