Number Of Homeless People In Los Angeles’ Wealthiest Neighborhoods, Including Beverly Hills And Brentwood, Jumps 45% Year-Over-Year

Number Of Homeless People In Los Angeles’ Wealthiest Neighborhoods, Including Beverly Hills And Brentwood, Jumps 45% Year-Over-Year

Earlier this week when the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority released its annual Homeless Count, this year’s 10% rise countywide represented the second-biggest rise in the report’s five year history. But hidden in that countywide jump was an even bigger surprise.

From 2022 to 2023, the so-called “Service Planning Area 5” — which is comprised of Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Culver City, Ladera, Malibu, Mar Vista, Marina del Rey, Pacific Palisades, Palms, Playa del Rey, Santa Monica, Venice, West LA, Westchester and Westwood — saw a 45% increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness. The region’s count went from 4,604 to 6,669, a rise of 2,065 in just 12 months.

Ironically, SPA 5 includes L.A.’s priciest zip codes with a median income 54% higher than that of L.A. County as a whole. Residents of the area have been complaining for years about the rise in people experiencing homelessness. Just this week, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park introduced a motion aimed at addressing issues with people living in recreational vehicles within her 11th District, which includes many of the same locales as SPA 5: Brentwood, Del Rey, Mar Vista, Marina del Rey, Pacific Palisades, Palms, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, Sawtelle, Venice, West Los Angeles, Westchester.

The motion calls for an investment of $500,000 toward an RV Rehousing Pilot Program that would provide support services and pathways to provide RV dwellers with permanent housing. The proposal follows a recent incident in which a mother and her children narrowly escaped an RV fire in Venice. A similar pilot program spearheaded by Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez resulted in a reduction in RVs throughout her Seventh District.