Gale Holland writes at the Los Angeles Times that although New York City remains the number one city for homelessness in America, the City of Angels far and away leads the nation in “unsheltered” homeless people.
The annual Los Angeles homeless count ended early Friday amid disappointment that the street encampments rankling residents across the city are still on the rise.
The three-day event, which marshaled 7,700 volunteers for a street-by-street hand count of homeless people and encampments, was held to update Los Angeles County’s homeless count, which stood at 47,000 in 2016. Populations in shelters, transitional housing, and other facilities are also counted.
New York City traditionally reports the most homeless people in the country, primarily in its extensive shelter system. But Los Angeles has the highest number by far of what are called “unsheltered” homeless people, living on sidewalks, in cars, campers, tents, and lean-tos.
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