The homeless crisis has been skyrocketing across the nation prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only have they had to endure unstable and dangerous living conditions, but they are put in a position where their lives are in danger due to the high risk of getting infected by the coronavirus. 

“This is a humanitarian issue, when people are dying on your streets for being homeless or losing their jobs to the Coronavirus pandemic, this is something that needs action now,” said Rowan Vansleve, CFO of Hope of the Valley. 

This issue is closer to us than most people would assume. 

“I was working at CSUN as a custodian before I got laid off, and now I’m here,” said Stephen, a resident living in Hope of the Valley’s Tiny Homes site who wanted to keep his last name private.

Studies have shown that about 568,000 people are experiencing homelessness on average in the U.S. and 151,000 people in California, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The health and economic fallout of the pandemic, particularly in Los Angeles, has left many more low-income residents on the fringe of housing insecurity. 

This has affected not only those who were homeless prior to the pandemic, but it has resulted in thousands of people losing their jobs, which has led to an increase in homeless numbers today.

Currently, there are more than 41,000 people experiencing homelessness in the city of Los Angeles, and more than 66,000 in Los Angeles County, representing an increase of 12.7% and 16.1% from 2019, according to the Los Angeles Times.  

The rise in homelessness in 2019 has not only put people without housing at high risk of COVID-19 exposure, but has also impacted them economically. 

The number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness increased by nearly 17,000 to 211,000 in 2019, while the number of people in shelters decreased by nearly 2,000 to 356,000. These numbers vary by each state, however the metropolitan areas with the largest increases in 2019 — led by Los Angeles, San Jose, and Oakland — all have particularly high cost burdens and scarce affordable housing. This has resulted in sheltered homelessness being in a vulnerable state regarding the ongoing affordability crisis. In January 2020, studies show that there were more than 580,000 individuals who were homeless in the United States in one night. Which is a 2% increase from the year before.

As of April 7, 2021, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has identified 53 new deaths and 479 new COVID-19 cases. To date, the Department of Public Health confirmed 1,223,174 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 23,340 deaths. 

Eligibility for Vaccinations

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health made the county’s homeless population eligible to receive Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that help fight the coronavirus on March 15, 2021. While these vaccines became available to those in the top priority, people experiencing homelessness have had trouble getting access to the vaccine.

According to the LA Times, “research from UCLA epidemiologists found that nationally, homeless people who did contract COVID-19 were 30% more likely to die than those in the general population. In Los Angeles County, homeless COVID-19 patients were 50% more likely to die”.

The County of Los Angeles Public Health now states there are a number of people experiencing homelessness who now have access to vaccinations. The county has provided both traditional clinic-based vaccination models, as well as utilizing mobile teams, to offer vaccines to those living in shelters, encampments, churches and access centers.

Many areas in Los Angeles have been making efforts to cover various areas, including the St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica that held one of the mobile clinics for unhoused neighbors. The organization also hosted a clinic at Annenberg Access Center – The People Concern on 503 Olympic Blvd, reported by Patch. A large number of providers across the county have now administered 11,483 COVID-19 vaccine doses to people experiencing homelessness. 

While people of color, primarily Black and Latino residents who are 65 and older are more at risk with contracting the coronavirus, Black residents who are 65+ have met the largest increase in vaccination rates at 145% since February. The County is also reviewing a large increase in the vaccination rate for Latino residents, which grew by 114% from February 9 to April 2. While the rate for American Indian/Alaska Native increased by nearly 110%., “These increases translate into more protection for all with just about 50% or more of people 65 and older vaccinated across each race/ethnic group,” observed by the Los Angeles Public Health. 

Housing

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority is addressing the problem through access centers, outreach, support services, interim housing, transitional housing and permanent housing. There are 240 outreach teams of more than 850 people, the group reached 46,533 people experiencing homelessness in 2020. Los Angeles officials have launched an exclusive effort to protect 15,000 homeless people from the coronavirus by moving them into hotel and motel rooms called Project Roomkey. 

Project Roomkey is a first-time effort developed by the State, County and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) to provide hotel and motel rooms for people experiencing homelessness. This program is funded by a combination of $550 million of federal CARES Act money with $50 million from California’s general fund. Their purpose is to protect high-risk individuals and to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in communities located in Los Angeles County. Mitch O'Farrell, a city councilman whose district includes Echo Park, stated that at least 166 people had already been sheltered and were offered temporary housing, according to Times Union. 

However, hundreds of these unhoused residents and activists were not happy with the initiative.

This situation resulted in authorities evicting residents of a large homeless encampment in Echo Park despite the peaceful protests by the homeless residents living there, who were joined by the advocates supporting them. According to Times Union, the city stated they ordered officials to remove these residents so that the city could perform improvements to the site and for general public safety improvements. While residents living in the area argue that it’s been the most secure place for homeless people during the public health crisis. 

One of the main concerns of Project Roomkey is that it’s only a temporary support system. These homeless residents have been fighting for long-term solutions on housing but the program failed to do so until they announced the park would be cleaned out. Even then, they will only be provided with short-term housing with shelter restrictions, which is another reason these residents refuse to accept assistance from the city. If they take advantage of these rooms, they would be under strict control like curfews and lack of privacy. Additionally, not all the sites allow people to bring their possessions, including pets, or offer storage for personal belongings, according to the California Health Care Foundation. Many would rather live on the streets and obtain that freedom and connection with other fellow residents. 

According to the LA Times, many of these unhoused residents saw the area as their home, surrounded by family who were able to feed each other through the community kitchen and support each other as a community. Some argued they ate better at Echo Park than they did at the hotel. Many people in these communities have donated large varieties of foods, such as crackers, bread, fruit and water bottles. 

Despite 2,261 hotel rooms leased across the county, officials fell short of their goal of housing about one-quarter of the estimated 66,000 homeless people in Los Angeles County (LA Times). These goals did not meet mainly due to the limited number of hotel and motel owners willing to participate. 

“Although the owners of more than 20,000 properties expressed interest, differences over price, qualms by insurance carriers and lenders, and concerns about branding turned out to be obstacles,” said Phil Ansell, head of the Homeless Initiative in Los Angeles county. LAHSA and the county have decided to target hotels with only 100 or more rooms, which result in restricting some of the participants that need the most assistance. 

Rowan Vansleeve says that these washing machines are running day and night in order for people to live clean and comfortably.

Tiny Homes

As the homeless crisis has continued to worsen in L.A. and across California, the county of Los Angeles proposed the COVID-safe Tiny Homes camps for the homeless across Los Angeles, including North Hollywood, Echo Park and other locations being looked into to move on with this process.

Political figures who run the guidelines and policies for those unhoused are aware that housing is not enough to help heal the homelessness crisis, they understood shelters were needed as well. 

In February 2021, Hope of the Valley opened the first Tiny Homes community in Los Angeles located in North Hollywood on Chandler Blvd, which contains 39 homes and 75 beds reserved for unhoused residents. They will also be launching another Tiny Homes center near Van Nuys, Reseda, and Tarzana. Additionally, they’ve raised $3 million from their five thrift stores. 

Because of Hope of the Valley’s partnership with the city of Los Angeles, they started the year with 500 beds for homeless individuals in the San Fernando Valley, however they will have around 1,200 beds by the end of this year. 

Regarding COVID-19 safety measures in these sites, they provide weekly testing for their residents and follow all guidelines and health regulations. The most difficult dilemma associated with the pandemic, is quarantine if they’ve tested positive. Whether they’re in the middle of treatment with any type of addiction, trauma, mental issues or even starting new jobs, having to quarantine in a small space for two weeks can be really challenging for them. 

Those who are assigned a home can stay for up to 90 days until Hope of the Valley finds them permanent supportive housing. As long as they continue to make positive choices and push forward to get back on their feet, they can stay for as long as they need. The main purpose of these shelters is not only to provide stable living conditions, but also to provide resources they need to start over.

“The support doesn’t end when you’re in supportive housing. It’s supportive housing. If you need mental health services here, that support will stay with you. We’re going to do everything we can to keep you in permanent supportive housing,” Vansleve states.

Every individual’s situation is different, so whether one needs temporary shelter, have suffered severe trauma or mental issues, or they’re veterans needing housing, they provide the services and resources to treat anyone no matter what situation they’re in. 

According to the Economic Roundtable report based on the effects of the 2008 recession “Locked Out”, unemployment related to the pandemic will triple this year and peak by 2023. The report recorded that the number of additional unhoused working-age adults will reach over 52,000 in Los Angeles County, 131,000 in California and 600,000 across the nation. It also reported that most homelessness from the Pandemic Recession is projected to be in the form of couch surfing, 85% in the United States, 73% in California and 64% in Los Angeles County.

Latest Update on Homelessness

As of April 22, 2021, Federal Judge Carter ordered Los Angeles County to provide shelter by October this year to more than 4,600 people living on Skid Row. The 110-page order from Judge Carter has been released as part of an ongoing lawsuit that was filed last year by a group of downtown business owners and residents. 

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, these LA unhoused citizens have had to dangerously endure the impacts of the City and County’s consistent failure to combat the crisis of homelessness.

While homelessness is a fundamental humanitarian issue, it’s undoubtedly become a systemic racial issue. 

Heidi Marston, Director of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, “homelessness is a byproduct of racism. We continue to see that Black people are overrepresented in our homeless population, and that Black African Americans are four times more likely to become homeless than their white counterparts.” 

Black people constitute 8% of the population in Los Angeles, but they make up 42% of its homeless population, according to the court document. 

“From 2016 to 2017, the city saw a 22% increase in the number of unhoused Black Angelenos. Yet, in the same period, the number of white Angelenos experiencing homelessness decreased by 7%” (LA Alliance for Human Rights, et al. vs. City of Los Angeles, et. al)