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New Report: Violence is Common for Women on LA's Streets
An image from the Downtown Women's Center report.
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.
“And so the level of trauma informed services that are needed by women is one of the most important aspects to think about when we’re providing services and healthcare and housing.”
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.
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LGBTQ+ women and women of color were more likely to experience chronic homelessness, according to the report.
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