New Report: Violence is Common for Women on LA's Streets

The numbers are startling.

Six in 10 homeless and low-income women in Los Angeles experienced some form of violence in 2019, according to a new report. The Downtown Women’s Center and USC surveyed hundreds of women in L.A. to create the Los Angeles Women’s Needs Assessment.

Homelessness affects women differently because they are likely to experience gender-based violence, said 

Amy Turk, CEO of the Downtown Women’s Center.

The report also found that housing was a major concern for women. More than 80% said they’ve struggled to find permanent housing.

 Turk says there needs to be more housing specifically for women, in the same way that housing projects are created to target veterans or people who are chronically homeless.

L.A. County’s homeless count found a 13% increase in homelessness among women in the city of LA between 2018 and 2019. Turk says that number could go up because the Needs Assessment found 70% of low-income women are heavily rent-burdened.

In addition to housing women, women need better access to services like healthcare and jobs training.

“We also noted that women were forced to leave the communities that they were more comfortable in, in order to access services,” Turk said.

LGBTQ+ women and women of color were more likely to experience chronic homelessness, according to the report.

GO DEEPER:

• LA's Annual Homeless Count (Or Undercount?) Is Underway (LAist)
• LA County Homelessness Is Getting Worse. Here Are The Numbers (LAist)