Mapping the Surge in L.A.'s Homelessness Epidemic

Homelessness is surging in Los Angeles. New numbers from a biennial count last January—described as the most rigorous and accurate ever—reveal 44,359 people sleeping on the streets, in their cars, and in homeless shelters throughout Los Angeles County, a 12 percent increase since 2013. A map by Doug Smith and Jon Schleuss at the Los Angeles Times offers somber insight into where these tens of thousands take shelter at night.

The map represents homeless individuals as bright colored dots on darkened land, like small beacons in the night. Red dots are individuals on the street, yellow represents those in tents or makeshift shelters, and blue those in vehicles. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the heaviest clusters are in downtown Los Angeles, including the notorious stretch of homeless encampments known as Skid Row, where tensions with law enforcement recently came to a head when an LAPD officer shot and killed a homeless man. The beachside communities of Venice and Santa Monica, long favored by the homeless for the pleasant weather and historically homeless-friendly policies, are also hotspots. But the biggest jumps in numbers come from more far-flung regions, such as East Los Angeles County, the South Bay and the Antelope Valley, where population growth overall is outpacing the county’s.