Los Angeles is the “homeless capital” of the United States. This is evidenced by footage from the city center.
Before the current crisis, there were about 73 thousand homeless people in the city. One third of them were “chronically” homeless due to illness (mental illness and drug abuse). Some had no roof over their heads for decades. Homeless people cost the budget a tidy sum – they are periodically put in prison where they need to be kept, and sometimes they end up in emergency departments. 40% of the homeless in LA are women, teenagers and children.
The Los Angeles slum neighbourhood is less than a mile from City Hall. It’s home to 2,000 to 3,000 tramps.