What would Los Angeles look like without homelessness and how that would help Black people was a primary tenet of a conversation entitled, “Reimagining Our Approach to Fighting Homelessness in Los Angeles” on March 11, hosted by District 10 Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas.
Currently, 207 people exit homelessness every day in Los Angeles County, Ridley-Thomas said. However, 227 people enter homelessness every day meaning 20 new people join LA’s homeless population on a daily basis. Simply put, homelessness is rising in Los Angeles.
According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s 2020 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, which was conducted before the pandemic and published in June 2020, approximately 66,436 people experienced homelessness in Los Angeles County. That number represents a 12.7 percent increase from 2019’s count. Meanwhile, the city of Los Angeles saw a 16.1 percent rise in homelessness to 41,290, when comparing 2019 to 2020.
“We have to work harder, we have to work smarter,” Ridley-Thomas said. “What’s working, what’s not working, how can we house more people?”
With that in mind, Ridley-Thomas and others entered into a candid conversation with those who have actually experienced and exited homelessness.
Reba Stevens, who exited homelessness and now serves as a mental health commissioner in Los Angeles said decision makers must listen to the voices of Black men who have experienced and exited homelessness. Stevens wants Black men to have a seat at the table with decision makers to talk about reimagining homelessness in Los Angeles.
Stevens, a noted expert on how Black people experience homelessness because she has “lived expertise,” said that mental health and substance abuse services and peer support helped to increase her self confidence.
She was housed three different times before she was able to stay housed, Stevens said. That’s why the essential needs of unhoused neighbors are key to care management.
“The first is that prevention pillar,” said Heidi Marston, executive director of the LA Homeless Services Authority. “We’re continuing to work with our city and county partners to build out support to stop people from falling into homelessness.”
“If there’s nowhere to move to, it’s hard to end homelessness,” Marston said.
