WSJ: Los Angeles Homeless Population Jumped 10%, Resuming Prepandemic Growth
June 29, 2023 The City of Los Angeles’ homelessness population increased by 10% in the past year, as the city has been putting hundreds of millions of dollars to work to solve the problem. The Los Angeles Homeless Services authority estimates that year over year on a single night in the city, approximately 46,260 people were homeless, a rise from 41,980 the previous year. Voters allowed for millions of dollars in taxes to help fund housing for homeless people. Mayor Karen Bass allocated a 10th of the city’s $1.3 billion budget to fight the issue. To help assuage the large amounts of money being spent, a city transfer tax was passed applying to real-estate transactions over $5 million. Unfortunately, numbers may continue to rise once Covid eviction protections expire.