Demographics of homeless people

The count found 44,359 homeless in Los Angeles County, a 12 percent increase since the last count in 2013. About
70 percent of those individuals were unsheltered meaning they were sleeping on the streets or in cars versus
in homeless shelters.
For the county as a whole, the figure of nearly 65,000 homeless individuals was within the range that was generally
thought to be credible.
Unaccompanied youth, especially in the Hollywood area, are estimated to make up from 4,800 to 10,000 of these.
Although homeless people may be found throughout the county, the largest percentages are in South Los Angeles
and Metro Los Angeles. Most are from the Los Angeles area and stay in or near the communities from which they
came. About 14 to 18 percent of homeless adults in Los Angeles County are not U.S. citizens compared with 29% of
adults overall. A high percentage - as high as 20 percent - are veterans. African Americans make up approximately
half of the Los Angeles County homeless population - disproportionately high compared to the percentage of
African Americans in the county overall (about 9 percent).
Problems of homeless people
Health risks
Inadequate health insurance is itself a cause for homelessness. Many people without health insurance have low
incomes and do not have the resources to pay for health services on their own. A serious injury or illness in the
family could result in insurmountable expenses for hospitalizations, tests, and treatment. For many, this forces a
choice between hospital bills or rent. According to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (2008), half
of all personal bankruptcies in the United States are caused by health problems.
Health care is even more of a problem for people who are already homeless. Homeless people are three to six times
more likely to become ill than housed people (National Health Care for the Homeless Council, 2008).
Homelessness precludes good nutrition, good personal hygiene, and basic first aid, adding to the complex health
needs of homeless people. Additionally, conditions which require regular, uninterrupted treatment, such as
tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, are extremely difficult to treat or control among those without adequate housing.
Diseases that are common among the homeless population include heart disease, cancer, liver disease, kidney
disease, skin infections, HIV/AIDS, pneumonia, and tuberculosis (OConnell, 2005). People who live on the streets
or spend most of their time outside are at high risk for frostbite, immersion foot, and hypothermia, especially during
the winter or rainy periods. Although not many homeless deaths are specifically attributed to exposure-related
causes such as frostbite, immersion foot, or hypothermia, the risk of death from other causes is increased eightfold in
people who have experienced those conditions in the past (OConnell, 2005).
Unfortunately, many homeless people who are ill and need treatment do not ever receive medical care. Barriers to
health care include lack of knowledge about where to get treated, lack of access to transportation, and lack of

identification (Whitbeck, 2009). Psychological barriers also exist, such as embarrassment, nervousness about filling
out the forms and answering questions properly, and self-consciousness about appearance and hygiene when living
on the streets. The most common obstacle to health care is the cost (Whitbeck, 2009). Without health care, many
homeless people simply cannot pay. As a result, many homeless people utilize hospital emergency rooms as their
primary source of health care. Not only is this not the most effective form of care for them, since it provides little
continuity, it is also very expensive for hospitals and the government.
As a result of these factors, homeless people are three to four times more likely to die than the general population
(OConnell, 2005). This increased risk is especially significant in people between the ages of 18 and 54. Although
women normally have higher life expectancies than men, even in impoverished areas, homeless men and women
have similar risks of premature mortality. In fact, young homeless women are four to 31 times as likely to die early
as housed young women (OConnell, 2005). The average life expectancy in the homeless population is estimated
between 42 and 52 years, compared to 78 years in the general population.
Paths towards homelessness
Figure 1 depicts the web of vulnerability illustrating inter-related pathways into homelessness for women
veterans, as described by the participants. Participants associated their homelessness with one or more of five
primary roots, or initiators or precipitating factors for their path toward homelessness: 1) Pre-military adversity
(including violence, abuse, unstable housing), 2) military trauma and/or substance use, 3) post-military interpersonal
violence, abuse, and termination of intimate relationships, 4) post-military mental illness, substance abuse, and/or
medical issues, and 5) unemployment. Criminal justice involvement (6) was a subsidiary factor that related to the
roots. The links, or pathways, from roots toward homelessness are depicted in the figure with arrows. Pathways
(arrows) may be unidirectional or bidirectional, with the latter linking together factors that both lead to and result
from homelessness (i.e., factors implicated in a cycle of homelessness). Contextual factors, when present, promoted
these pathways. These included survivor instinct, lack of social support and resources, a sense of isolation, a
pronounced sense of independence, and barriers to care. Contextual factors variably contributed to unmet health care
and psychosocial needs, prolonged vulnerability, and homelessness.
The shelter sat in what is considered one of San Francisco's ghettos, the Tenderloin, and was populated by up to
forty men and women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four. We were a hodgepodge of a group: diverse in
many ways, quite similar in many others. An overwhelming number of us grew up in abusive households. Some
grew up in San Francisco; others hopped a bus there when there were no other options, hoping the city would
provide them with an opportunity to craft a better life. The population of queer-identified youth was notable, several
having run from conservative hometowns and intolerant families.
Almost all of the youth at the shelter had been failed by the individuals and systems charged to protect and nurture
them. Collectively, we were failed by abusive households and overwhelmed child protective services systems, failed
by underfunded school districts, and failed by a harsh economy.