Latino-Hispanic Unsheltered Homelessness Before and After COVID-19.

Abstract

Objectives. To identify sociodemographic shifts among unsheltered Latino people experiencing homelessness (PEH) between 2020-2022. Methods. We examined differences in characteristics reported in demographic surveys for Latino PEH older than 25 years from 2020 (n = 1215) and 2022 (n = 1395) in Los Angeles County, California, using weighted bivariate χ² tests. Results. From 2020 to 2022, there was a 25% increase in the number of unsheltered Latino individuals. The share of Latino PEH who were unemployed increased (57% to 67%). The increase in homelessness occurred largely among individuals living in vehicles (14% to 33%), rather than in tents or on sidewalks. Latino PEH were significantly less likely to report mental illness (24% vs 18%) and had higher rates of first entry into homelessness in the past 2 years than non-Latino respondents. Conclusions. Our results are consistent with the effects of increasing socioeconomic vulnerability, likely related to COVID-19, in driving the increase in Latino PEH. Policy Implications. The rise in homelessness among economically vulnerable yet healthy Latinos suggests a need to bolster social safety nets and increase homelessness prevention programs. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(S6):S510-S514. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307717) [Formula: see text].