L.A.’s love of sprawl made it America’s most overcrowded place. Poor people pay a deadly price: they get stuck in traffic, and their homes and yards are filled with trash, they’re forced to live in cramped conditions, and they’re surrounded by crime.
The city became home to the homeless in 1986. Today, it’s the nation’s most crowded city—by far. The city’s population has grown by more than 30,000 people in the past 15 years, from 7,000 people to more than 13,000 people. Many poor people don’t have the money to afford housing. So they live with their dogs.
Many poor people don’t have the money to afford housing. So they live with their dogs.
In 1987, a homeless man by the name of Joe, who had been living out of his car for two years, was arrested. In the years that followed, Joe was arrested more than 200 times—most of them for sleeping in public.
The man known as “the homeless” has a history of trying to go in and out of mental institutions, as well—all four of his brothers had mental issues.
The homeless man known as “the homeless” has a history of trying to go in and out of mental institutions, as well—all four of his brothers had mental issues.
People who had mental illness were encouraged to live in the streets to see how others lived. But they were shunned if they tried to live in public places in California, and so they moved elsewhere.
After going out on his own, the man known as “the homeless” was homeless for a year, and he says that it cost him $300 to make a phone call.
I am homeless. The only place I can go is the bus where they have all my belongings.
The homeless man’s life is a constant struggle—but even in his dark, dirty, and crowded life, he is determined to survive.
I am homeless. The only place I can go is the bus where they have all my belongings.
The homeless man is a big man and very strong. His weight is 170 pounds and he carries everything he owns on his back. He carries all his possessions in his backpack, and he uses it to protect himself from the homeless dogs.
Many homeless people are born with physical and mental disabilities that limit their abilities, and they must rely on