L.A. County’s unhoused population faces high levels of discrimination, violence

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“Our study highlights the crushing burden of violence and discrimination faced by our unhoused neighbors in L.A. County,” said Dr. Randall Kuhn.

For the estimated 75,000 people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County, material hardships are compounded by an alarming level of discrimination and vulnerability to physical and sexual violence, according to a recent study by researchers at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and colleagues.

Of 332 unhoused individuals surveyed for the study, 32% reported being subjected to daily discrimination over the previous month and 54% had experienced discrimination in the previous week. These reported affronts included being threatened or harassed, experiencing less courtesy, receiving poorer service, and being treated as if they weren’t smart or were to be feared.

The survey also found that in the previous 30 days, 16% of people experiencing homelessness were victims of physical violence and 7.5% were victims of sexual violence

By comparison, previous studies involving general populations of minoritized groups have found lifetime discrimination rates ranging from 13% to 60%.

The survey also found that in the previous 30 days, 16% of people experiencing homelessness were victims of physical violence and 7.5% were victims of sexual violence. Among the general population of major U.S. cities, past-year rates were 3% for physical violence and 0.24% for sexual violence.

“Our study highlights the crushing burden of violence and discrimination faced by our unhoused neighbors in L.A. County,” said Dr. Randall Kuhn, a UCLA Fielding professor of community health sciences and co-leader of the study team, which also included researchers from the UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs and the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.

“We know, from previous research that my public health colleagues and I have done, that everyday discrimination and racism can have long-term effects on health — and that, because of many factors, people experiencing homelessness have dramatically lower life expectancy than their housed counterparts,” Kuhn said. “This study suggests that people’s responses to homelessness and their treatment of unhoused people exacerbate these problems.”

Los Angeles County has nearly 11% of the U.S. population of people experiencing homelessness, and more than 20% of people experiencing unsheltered or chronic homelessness.