The Homeless Crisis Is Getting Worse in America’s Richest Cities

The Homeless Crisis(ˈkrīsis) Is Getting Worse in America’s Richest Cities

A toxic(ˈtäksik) combination(ˌkämbəˈnāSHən) of slow wage(wāj) growth and skyrocketing(ˈskīˌräkit) rents has put housing out of reach for a greater number of people.

By Noah(ˈnōə) Buhayar and Esmé E Deprez

It was just after 10 p.m. on an overcast September night in Los Angeles, and L. was tired(tīrd) from a long day of class prep(prep), teaching, and grading(grād) papers. So the 57-year-old anthropology(ˌanTHrəˈpäləjē) professor(prəˈfesər) fed(fed) her Chihuahua(CHəˈwäwə)-dachshund(ˈdäksənd) mix(miks) a freeze(frēz)-dried(drī) chicken strip(strip), swapped(swäp) her cigarette(ˈsigəˌret,ˌsigəˈret) trousers(ˈtrouzərz) for stretchy(ˈstreCHē) black yoga(ˈyōgə) pants(pants), and began to unfold(ˌənˈfōld) a set of white sheets and a beige(bāZH) cotton(ˈkätn) blanket(ˈblaNGkit) to make up her bed.

But first she had to recline(riˈklīn) the passenger(ˈpasinjər) seat(sēt) of her 2015 Nissan Leaf(lēf) as far as it would go—that being her bed in the parking lot she’d called home for almost three months. The Late Show with Stephen(ˈstēvən) Colbert(ō) was playing on her iPad as she drifted(drift) off for another night. “Like sleeping on an airplane—but not in first class,” she said. That was in part by design. “I don’t want to get more comfortable. I want to get out of here.”

L., who asked to go by her middle initial(iˈniSHəl) for fear of losing her job, couldn’t afford(əˈfôrd) her apartment earlier this year after failing to cobble(ˈkäbəl) together enough teaching assignments(əˈsīnmənt) at two community(kəˈmyo͞onitē) colleges(ˈkälij). By July she’d exhausted(igˈzôstid) her savings and turned to a local nonprofit(ˈnänˈpräfit) called Safe Parking L.A., which outfits a handful of lots around the city with security(siˈkyo͝oritē) guards, port-a-potties(ˈpätē), Wi-Fi, and solar(ˈsōlər)-powered electrical(əˈlektrək(ə)l) chargers(ˈCHärjər). Sleeping in her car would allow her to save for a deposit(dəˈpäzət) on an apartment. On that night in late September, under basketball(ˈbaskitˌbôl) hoops owned by an Episcopal(əˈpiskəpəl) church(CHərCH) in Koreatown(kəˈrēə), she was one of 16 people in 12 vehicles(ˈvēəkəl,ˈvēˌhikəl). Ten of them were female(ˈfēˌmāl), two were children, and half were employed(əmˈploi).

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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-11-20/the-homeless-crisis-is-getting-worse-in-america-s-richest-cities