Why are there so many homeless people in downtown Los Angeles?

There are many theories. Some cities would buy homeless people tickets to LA, is one myth, because they wouldn't freeze to death. Others involve the large populations of veterans with ptsd, or underlying mental fragility that was made worse by service in Vietnam. read more

Countywide, more than 44,000 homeless people were tallied in January, up from more than 39,000 in 2013, the report said. Well over half -- nearly 26,000 -- were in the city of Los Angeles. read more

So it’s so much more obvious that there are homeless downtown now. Other cities also have large numbers of homeless, but they may not be as visible. Some cities that spring to mind are Santa Monica, Venice Beach (lots of people living in RV’s); Hollywood up in the hills and many others. read more

Services for homeless people in Los Angeles are centralized in Skid Row. Examples include the Volunteers of America, the Union Rescue Mission, The Jonah Project, Downtown Mental Health (a branch of the Department of Mental Health), LAMP, Downtown Women's Center, The Weingart Foundation, Los Angeles Mission, Fred Jordan Mission, The Society of St. Vincent de Paul's Cardinal Manning Center, and Midnight Mission. read more