Homelessness and Poverty in L.A.
Los Angeles County is in crisis 
- Wages have not kept up with housing costs.
- Over the past 20 years, only the top 1% of salaried workers have seen significant income growth.
- Our percentage of working poor is higher than the U.S. as a whole.
It’s no surprise that…
- We’re the homeless capital of the nation.
- #1 reason for homelessness is losing a job.
- L.A. County unemployment is in double digits for the first time since May 1993.
Homelessness is a solvable problem
At UWGLA we are focusing on ending homelessness among 2 populations –
- chronically homeless who are the most costly segment- long-term, disabled, mental health and substance abuse issues.
- families who represent the fastest growing segment- short-term, crisis e.g. job loss, catastrophic illness, divorce.
The Solution: Housing First
We believe that our community must focus on housing people first while giving them access to support services such as health and mental health treatment.
This “emerging model” was designed to move people into housing quickly while giving them the supportive services necessary to stay there. In this model shelters are used as very short-term housing only.
Housing homeless families and individuals will do more than manage the problem, it will solve it.
For a list of our Community Partners,click here.
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