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

32 Pages Posted: 6 Sep 2024

See all articles by Daniel Flaming

Daniel Flaming

Economic Roundtable

Gary Blasi

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - School of Law

Anthony W. Orlando

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona - Finance, Real Estate and Law Department

Sam Tsemberis

Pathways to Housing

Date Written: September 5, 2024

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

Suggested Citation

Flaming, Daniel and Blasi, Gary L. and Orlando, Anthony W. and Tsemberis, Sam, Excelling for the 2028 Olympics: Restoring, Not Displacing, LA’s Unsheltered Residents (September 5, 2024). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4947894 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4947894

Daniel Flaming (Contact Author)

Economic Roundtable ( email )

244 S. San Pedro St., Ste. 506
Los Angeles, CA 90012
United States
2138928104 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://economicrt.org/

Gary L. Blasi

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - School of Law ( email )

385 Charles E. Young Dr. East
Room 1242
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1476
United States

Anthony W. Orlando

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona - Finance, Real Estate and Law Department ( email )

United States

Sam Tsemberis

Pathways to Housing ( email )

270 Broadway, Suite 301
New York, NY
United States

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