Homelessness In Los Angeles

Imagine walking around the streets of Los Angeles and taking in the towering buildings and the bustling traffic. People on the sidewalk passing back heading to their next appointment and cars in search of parking slots. Suddenly the world stops and you hear the rattling of coins in a can. You take your focus of the beautiful City of Angels to a man sitting man on the ground

shaking his can. He sits there with a sign that says, “Homeless, please help. God bless.” People continue to walk by, but only you notice him. The world seems to be so distracted from him and blinded that they do not see his problem. As the man continues to be out of the line of sight of society so does problem. The homelessness situation is bigger than one may imagine. Like the people passing by the homeless man, the

world continues to move on and focus on other issues leaving the homeless population growing by having the homeless concentrated in one area. The problem with containing the homeless in Skid row, Los Angeles by concentrating their population and ignoring their predicament is caused by the failure of government regulation and public knowledge of the problem. This issue results in problems towards public health like the tuberculosis outbreak that hit the homeless in Los Angeles, economic issues like the increased public cost monthly, and property depreciation which strips away businesses and value of the area. Homelessness and poverty were always persistent and present in the societies of the world over time. From the serfs in Medieval Europe and the Untouchables in India, poverty and homelessness existed. There were always people who were the affected by everything putting them into the lower class and the becoming the ones who were always looked down upon. In modern days “without the financial ability to make ends meet and afford an apartment or home, individuals and families become homeless” (“Causes of Homelessness”). Factors like loss of a job, the high housing and rent costs, or disabilities are a few factors that contribute to the homeless population. “[Homeless] males [usually become homeless due to] relationship breakdown, substance misuse, the or leaving an institution (prison, care, hospital, etc.). For homeless women, the most common causes were physical or mental health problems and escaping a violent relationship” (“Causes and consequences”). All these factors contribute to the ongoing growth of homelessness, but overall the lack of public sight of the issue and governmental regulation are the main reasons why homelessness continues to be in our society. Problems arise from the overwhelming increase in the amount of homeless people in Los Angeles.

As these homeless people are concentrated in the area of Skid row, they become a risk to public health and hygiene. According from P.A.T.H., a program of agencies fighting against homelessness, and the 2013 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, “58,423 individuals experience homelessness in Los Angeles on any given night” (“About Us”). In over the “past five years, more and more homeless people are being reported to contract tuberculosis, a bacterial disease that has symptoms of coughing, coughing up blood, weigh loss, night sweats, fatigue, and fever”(Lupkin). The disease is spread through the air like the common cold, so nearby homeless shelters and the area are already exposed to the bacterial strain. According to the map of the United States by the Centers for Disease Control, the tuberculosis strain is spread throughout across the nation. As more and more people continue to be infected, the disease will only continue to spread and eventually create a bigger problem. The tuberculosis disease can easily be treated with antibiotics, but the homeless lack available resources to attain the help they need like getting the tuberculosis

vaccine to prevent getting the disease in the first place or receiving health care. Homeless individuals are vulnerable to this slow spreading epidemic due to the “stressful living situations, poor diets, or are sick with other diseases” (The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Response to Community Concerns About Active Tuberculosis (TB) Disease Among the Homeless). Due to the concentrated amount of homeless in crowded living conditions, the strain is more likely to spread. Although according to Los Angeles County Department of Public Health who says, “The ongoing outbreak of tuberculosis is not a threat to the general,” as more
and more people become homeless and concentrated in areas like Skid row, this strain can easily become an epidemic. Health officials are concerned for the outbreak in Skid row, even asking for federal assistance. Even with active measures are being taken from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and homeless shelters, the disease can still be spread to the increasing population of homeless people. Together Los Angeles health officials and the CDC have estimated
“about 4,650 people who were probably exposed to the contagious disease in the downtown area of Los Angeles known as Skid row” (Beasley and Julie Steenhuysen). The CDC recorded that there were “in 2011, 10,528 cases of tuberculosis in the United States where a majority of them are from the homeless” (Homelessness is a risk factor for TB). As the homeless population grows and risk of contracting diseases like tuberculosis becomes bigger, the public health issue becomes a major economic issue as well. An example is that when a sick homeless person would get sick they would go be sent to a local hospital. Since all hospitals are required to provide help to a person regardless of the inability to pay for the