In California, more than 170, 000 people encounter homelessness on a daily basis. The U. S. state has the largest homeless population in the country. The latest statewide study, including interviews and surveys with nearly 3, 200 participants, showed the main cause for homelessness was income inequality.
I think the big headline here is how much homelessness was driven by economic conditions, that the median household income in the months before homelessness for all of our participants was less than a thousand dollars a month in the state with the highest housing costs in the country.
Researchers point out for every 100 extremely low income Californians defined as making less than 30 percent of their area’s median income, there are only 24 units of affordable housing available. And the low income elderly population who age out of work seem to be at highest risk of losing their homes.
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Then there’s the racial gap, with Native American and Black residents significantly overrepresented in the homeless population.
The study also gives us a much better idea of their struggles. Participants say homelessness left them more vulnerable to violence, with nearly 38% having experienced either physical or sexual violence. With Nearly a third reported a jail stay during their homelessness, and finally, substance use was a common factor, with one third reporting regular use of methamphetamines.
Such circumstances can often lead to mental illnesses that further complicate the process of qualifying for permanent housing. As a result, experts underscore the importance of identifying and reaching vulnerable groups with support before they become homeless.
What we learned in this study is people didn’t have a lot of warning before they lost their housing. And so we need to make folks more aware of their own warning signs, and then we need to have help at the ready. Certainly keeping people from becoming homeless is going to be a more productive way than constantly trying to end homelessness amongst people who’ve experienced the terrible traumas of homelessness.
That’s only possible by providing a lot more affordable housing options to the lowest income households in a state where the income gap has been widening by the year. It is Tian Shan, CGTN, Los Angeles.
