Study: At Least 1,500 Unhoused Died on the Streets of L.A. During the Pandemic

A new study by researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) confirmed the death of nearly 1,500 people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic.

An article by Sam Levin for The Guardian shares the news of the study.

The study comes a significant caveat: the total is likely a significant undercount. "The coroner’s office only tracks fatalities that were 'sudden, violent or unusual'. The data does not include unhoused people who were receiving medical care or hospitalized when they died. The count also excludes people who died while in shelters or cars," writes Levin.

Levin's coverage includes more detail on the findings of the study, including demographic information.

The report sheds new light on a subject that's been relatively underreported during the pandemic. Despite efforts to house people experiencing homelessness in temporary shelters and provide financial and legal support to vulnerable renters, much of the attention to housing during the pandemic has been focused on the expensive end of the market.

Previous Planetizen coverage of homelessness during the pandemic:

• The Crisis Within the Crisis: Homelessness and Housing Pushed to the Brink by COVID-19 (May 2020)
• Homelessness During the Pandemic (May 2021)
• Cities Need More Public Bathrooms–Well Beyond the Pandemic (August 2021)
• D.C.'s Housing and Homelessness Crises Are Two Sides of the Same Coin (October 2021)
• Spiking Rents Putting More People at Risk of Eviction (October 2021)