According to the Report and Recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee on Black People Experiencing Homelessness, published by Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority in December 2018, these components must be embedded within agency leadership and decision-making bodies that support direct service delivery. When asked, “What would have kept you from becoming homeless?” participants, in different words, responded, “having someone who cared about me.”
The Report affirms that Black people are more likely than White people to experience homelessness in the United States, including in Los Angeles County. In 2017, Black people represented only 9% of the general population in Los Angeles County yet comprised 40% of the population experiencing homelessness. The impact of institutional and structural racism in education, criminal justice, housing, employment, health care, and access to opportunities cannot be denied: homelessness is a by-product of racism in America.
Comments