In Southern California, you see people who are less fortunate on the streets. Whether it be the streets of Los Angeles, Long Beach, or Santa Ana- where many Segerstrom High School students live- you can find someone who is homeless. SoCal has always been a hotspot for homelessness, which has led to many problems, and not too many solutions to those problems. Lots of people who become homeless deal with other conflicts that are not only in SoCal but also in the rest of the world. It’s not just a problem in Southern California, but in other big cities such as New York City.
In California, the biggest cause of homelessness is due to the lack of affordable housing which has affected many trying to find a good place to live at a lower price. Many people who are homeless have had economic problems such as sudden accidents in which they were not able to pay their rent or mortgages due to the high costs of healthcare in the United States. When life started going back to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses shut down, meaning fewer jobs for citizens of California and leaving people without a source of income. Along with other factors, this left them to resort to homelessness.
Due to the stress and guilt of being homeless, it can affect people’s mental health severely. Some of these mental health disorders include schizophrenia, PTSD, and severe anxiety. Bad mental health can also lead to negative coping mechanisms such as turning to drugs or alcohol. Due to the combination of substance abuse and mental health issues, this can leave individuals unwell- which can often leave other individuals with stigmas about all homeless people, which a lot of times are not true.
Some homeless people can become homeless after escaping domestic abuse, which is unfortunately very common among women in particular. After they escape their situations, they are left with nothing but the trauma of the actions caused by others.
Skid Row is a well-known area with a large homeless population. It is a neighborhood in Downtown Los Angeles notorious for streets lined up with tents and homeless individuals. This area has approximately 4,400 people in the homeless population. It has been largely looked down upon by city residents since the 20th century. In 1976, the area was established as a “containment zone” where many of the city’s homeless and mentally unwell people were sent to be “tolerated”.
Santa Ana and all of Orange County in general have also been going through a homeless crisis. According to KTLA 5, “Santa Ana and Anaheim were far and away the top two cities with the highest homeless population”. In Orange County, homelessness has risen 28% in two years and in Santa Ana it has risen 44% in the past two years- which is a concerning amount. Santa Ana is always looked down upon for these numbers and its history with crime rates doesn’t help. Some students of SAUSD are economically disadvantaged and their families have trouble finding a safe place to live.
What has the government done to combat this problem, you may ask? Well here in Santa Ana, the city offers many homeless services such as shelters, permanent supportive housing, and homeless prevention programs. A shelter located here, called the “Orange County Yale Navigation Center” can hold 425 people. In Skid Row, the city of Los Angeles opened a luxury high-rise homeless shelter in which each unit cost $600,000 to build- causing it to be considered the largest permanent support housing project.
As of now, many cities around the United States are still trying to combat their homelessness crisis by providing support. Although numbers and statistics go up, cities try their best to make them decrease and make sure these individuals have a place to stay safe and be able to thrive from these opportunities. Many places prioritize healthcare, which is crucial for the well-being of homeless people, and although difficult, the problem will hopefully one day be solved.
