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The fires in Los Angeles have forced more than 150,000 residents to evacuate and have led to the loss of or damage to approximately 12,000 structures. This crisis has also compounded another: homelessness.
On any given day in 2024, more than 75,000 people experienced homelessness in Los Angeles County—more than 50,000 of them outside in unsheltered locations.
As the fires fuel Los Angeles’s long-standing housing challenges, they’ll also threaten people who are currently experiencing homelessness and those who have been rehoused, putting even more people at risk of homelessness. Recovery efforts will need to be informed by the lived experiences of homeless people and will require targeted programs that meet the needs of people at risk of and experiencing homelessness.
In Los Angeles and across the US, solutions to homelessness and the lack of affordable housing are needed to build equitable, climate-resilient cities.
