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Despite Increasing Foreclosures Homeless Numbers are Declining in Los Angeles

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Despite the economic gloom and increasing foreclosures the homeless numbers are declining in Los Angeles. This has confused many who had predicted that the ongoing crisis would result in more homeless people. The numbers have fallen sharply during the past two years according to a recent study.

Perhaps some credit should be given to the enforcement of strong measures taken to keep the people out of the streets. However pundits opine that the worst economic gloom since the time of the Great Depression could have caused rents to decrease and thus generate more affordable accommodation.

There are many who do not agree on this point saying that foreclosures tend to push people into the streets and shelters.

As per the findings of the latest census taken by Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority about 43,000 people are putting up in the streets, in vehicles and in deserted buildings or in the shelters provided by the government utilizing funds from “transitional housing”.  The count was taken from 27th to 29th January. It shows Los Angeles has the largest number of homeless people in any metropolis, said Michael Arnold of Homeless Services Authority.

The number and ratio of homeless people living on the streets had also declined from 83% to nearly two thirds of the total. The number of families including children had also substantially dropped.  Arnold said that the numbers indicate the success of local endeavours to fight the blight of homelessness. The Los Angeles County had poured in $100 million to expand rental vouchers to help homeless families.

Other areas in USA have been registering similar decreases in number of homeless people since 2007. Nan Roman of National Alliance to End Homelessness said, “Most sizable cities are reporting increases, not decreases.” She found the results of the survey on Los Angeles rather surprising but was one with Arnold in thinking that perhaps the housing slump has caused rental rates to fall making it more affordable for tenants.

Arnold said that unemployment too could in a roundabout way reduce the number of homeless people as the fall in working hands would lead to more vacancies and this in turn would push down rents and create affordable housing. He said, “What we expected was that people would lose their jobs, and then they would lose their homes and then they would become homeless, and the answer is that it’s a lot more complicated than that.”

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