Downtown L.A. Homeless Count: Lopez Kinda Comes Our Way
Last week we challenged the Los Angeles Times’ Steve Lopez’s contention in the opening salvo of his look at Skid Row that “roughly 10,000 people flop on skid row streets each night …”
Look at the earlier post for all our reasons, but among them was that the oft-cited 10,000 figure includes 10,000 homeless and at-risk people … not just homeless. And the definition of ‘homeless’ commonly used by public and private agencies includes anyone without a permanent home. Combining the two means that the actual number of people sleeping on the streets is far less than 10,000.
We emailed the Los Angeles Times’ Reader’s Representative with the gist of our complaint.
In the final piece of the series on Sunday (10/23), Lopez seemed to come our way a little bit.
No official count is available, but it’s safe to say thousands sleep on skid row. Some readers have challenged my reference to 10,000 street dwellers, but we know that roughly 3,000 are in shelters, with another several thousand in and out of single-room occupancy hotels and flophouses. Councilwoman Perry says she’s certain that 5,000 to 8,000 more are camped between 1st and 9th, Broadway and Alameda, with additional hordes living on the periphery.
So Lopez may now be at a figure in the neighborhood of 5,000 — still far more than we think (our estimate: 2,000 or so) but somewhat more responsible.
The Skid Row problem is a serious one. Serious, not incendiary, reporting is all we are asking for.
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Update: The longer this stews the less I think of Lopez’s modification. He originally used the 10,000 without attribution. When called on it, he went out and got some Councilwoman to partially support him — except we have no idea where she gets her figures. What are the odds that she’s basing it on nothing substantial? It’s the worse kind of reporting — determine what you want to say, and get a source to say it so you can quote them.
Technorati Tags: homeless, LA Times, LAT, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Times, steve lopez
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October 27th, 2005 at 3:41 pm
The problem in cities is generally the same…the % is about 2% of the general population….or 26000 displaced individuals……we need services for these humans……otherwise we ignore the problem? boundaries are fluid….it used to be main st., then spring st…then broadway? The solution is to take care of each one with support services as if the area is an institution (with out boundaries) that is evolving. Mayor Bradley provided toilets…..which became masturation stations? Niches became sleeping quarters….or toilets…..Let’s solve the problem by solving immediate situations that are not life threatening. Provide open portable toilets @ each block. Provide portable public catering services for the fluid institution…..The weingarten facility on 6th st. was a fixed program…..we need a fluid solution to a fluid problem…..not restrictions that create more problems/work? Another solution is to make accessible solutions like “block parties” of basic neces-cities? Positive attitude is the first step!