Excelling for the 2028 Olympics: Restoring, Not Displacing, LA’s Unsheltered Residents

Abstract

Los Angeles has four years to make inroads on the largest population of unsheltered people in the U.S. If we fail, 2028 is likely to be a disaster for unhoused people and LA’s reputation. Lack of income and the high cost of housing cause homelessness. The median monthly income of unsheltered individuals is $387 a month. Sixty-one percent of all unsheltered working-age homeless individuals are engaged in work activities. This entails looking for a job much more often than having a job, but the motivation of homeless individuals to support themselves through work is an under-utilized asset for society. Surprisingly, 70 percent of people sleeping outdoors are homeless for the first time. The age when they become homeless is increasingly young, 25 years old on average. The average amount of time they report being homeless has increased to 1,927 days. During this time, more people are getting criminal records. Despite all of the calls to increase the supply of rental housing, things are heading in the opposite direction. New building permits in Los Angeles during the first half of 2024 were 10 percent lower than last year and 60 percent lower than five years ago. Fewer new apartments going up is likely to result in higher rents and more homelessness. This paper concludes with 10 specific actions that will make Los Angeles a credible host for the 2028 Olympic Games. Foremost is ensuring that individuals have an income through employment or a basic income grant, and ensuring that they are stably housed. Other priories include identifying and helping high-risk individuals before they become persistently homeless, just eviction policies to protect renters, and record expungement and jail diversion programs.

Keywords: 2028 Olympic Games, Affordable Housing, Airside Workers, Basic Income Grant, Behavioral Health, Chronic Homelessness, City of Los Angeles, Cost Avoidance, Cost-Based Priority, disability, Displacement, Early Intervention, Employment, Equity, Eviction, Health, Homelessness, Host of Olympic Games, Housing, Income, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Opportunities, Poverty, Precarious Housing, Predictive Screening, Prevention, Public Costs, Rent Burden, Restoration, Risk, Unemployed, Unhoused, Welfare

JEL Classification: C53, C81, D63, H11, H51, H53, I18, I31, I32, I38, J21, J38, J68, J71, J78, O15, O22, R31, R58