Mapping the Widespread Homelessness That Runs Throughout Los Angeles County

When the numbers were released last month, 2015's Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority homeless count (conducted every two years) revealed that the sheer numbers of homeless individuals in LA had increased by 12 percent across both the city and county of Los Angeles, and that there was a sharp rise (85 percent) in the number of people who were living in tents and improvised shelters or in their cars. Now, a detailed map from the LA Times illustrates that data, turning every person counted into a point on the map that corresponds to the type of structure (if any) and the Census tract in which they live.

Within Census tracts, the dots are randomized, so they don't show the exact locations where homeless people were found to be staying, but the overall picture is pretty clear: if it feels like there are people living on the streets and under bridges everywhere you look, it's because there are. The distribution of unhoused people is far and wide, from the Westside to the South Bay to the San Gabriel Valley. Out of 1,684 Census tracts surveyed by the homeless count, only 300 were home to zero homeless people (and they were mostly small tracts, with between 4,000 and 6,000 people), according to the Times. Incidentally, there are also a lot fewer temporary shelters in Los Angeles now too.

· Where are L.A. County's homeless? [Curbed LA]
· A Lot More People Are Homeless in Los Angeles These Days [Curbed LA]
· LA County's Growing Homeless Population Has Fewer Temporary Shelter Options [Curbed LA]