Skid Row campus offers vital support

Los Angeles, CA (News4usonline) — Homelessness has long been a pressing issue in Los Angeles, where individuals and families are displaced due to the high cost of rent, mental illness, and substance use.

In downtown’s Skid Row, thousands of people live in tents, many forced to sleep directly on the streets, enduring scorching summer days and freezing winter nights.

According to the County of Los Angeles, an estimated 3,800 people experienced homelessness in Skid Row in 2024, with nearly 70 percent living unsheltered. The area has the highest concentration of unhoused residents in the county and also reports some of the highest rates of substance use, mental health crises, HIV/AIDS, and overdose deaths.

A county report published in June 2023 revealed that about 56 percent of people experiencing homelessness in Skid Row identify as Black or African American, while 24 percent identify as Hispanic or Latinx.

Across Los Angeles city and county, the unhoused population reached 71,201 in 2024, compared to New York City’s 140,131, according to USAFacts. The majority of unhoused individuals in New York are placed in shelters or transitional housing until permanent housing becomes available.

In Los Angeles, however, the rising cost of living makes stability harder to achieve. Rent for apartments ranges from $1,800 to $3,500 a month, while wages remain stagnant. Many residents struggle to secure full-time employment and often need multiple jobs to afford housing and cover essentials such as utilities and internet.

USAFacts also reports that California has six major metropolitan regions with the highest proportions of unsheltered homeless people, all exceeding 60 percent: Long Beach, San Jose/Santa Clara, Los Angeles, Oakland/Berkeley, Fresno, and Bakersfield. By contrast, cities in colder climates such as Boston, New York, Milwaukee, Baltimore, and Chicago report more than 90 percent of their homeless populations living in shelters, as winter conditions push more people indoors during annual counts.

In response to this ongoing crisis, Los Angeles County, in partnership with the City of Los Angeles and community organizations, celebrated the opening of the Skid Row Care Campus.

Designed as a hub for community and connection, the campus is part of a broader effort to expand housing, healthcare, and supportive services in the Skid Row neighborhood.

The new campus offers a wide range of resources, including hygiene facilities, case management, a Health Hub, and senior care housing. County officials describe the initiative as a critical step toward breaking the cycle of homelessness and hope it will serve as a model for future investments in comprehensive services that address both immediate needs and long-term stability.

Partners that made the campus possible include the LA County Departments of Health Services, Mental Health, and Public Health, with support from L.A. Care Health Plan and Health Net. On-the-ground operations are run by organizations such as Homeless Health Care Los Angeles, Wesley Health Centers, and Social Model Recovery Systems.

For many in Skid Row, the new campus offers more than basic support—it represents a pathway toward stability, dignity, and hope. The commitment to investing in resources and implementing solutions across Los Angeles County marks an important step toward ending homelessness.