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Study: Half Of LA’s Homeless Have Recently Worked
Think the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles can be blamed on people who don't want to work? Well, a new study shows most have held down jobs.
The study published Thursday finds:
- Nearly half (47%) of working age adults enrolling in homeless services in L.A. had worked in the four years prior to becoming homeless.
- About one in five were working in the same quarter they showed up in L.A.’s homeless services system.
- Close to three-quarters (74%) had some record of employment between 1995 and 2018.
Researchers with the California Policy Lab at UCLA looked at the employment history of people falling into homelessness by comparing data from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) with records from the state’s Employment Development Department.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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