Homeless Youth and their Families

 Thousands of families with children continue to face homelessness in Los Angeles County. According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s (LAHSA) 2017 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count Report 8,529 family members are homeless in Los Angeles County on any given night. With little or no support, many homeless families are forced to move from place to place, and may even find themselves sleeping in their cars, parks and other places not meant for housing.

The lack of affordable housing combined with steadily rising rents and stagnant wages, have made low-income families in Los Angeles County particularly vulnerable to becoming homeless. This is especially true for single-parent households (many of them lead by WOMEN) that fall on hard times due to the loss of a job, health issues or family problems. The lack of support and access to resources makes it difficult to find and retain permanent housing.

The instability and lack of security can have devastating effects on children in families experiencing homelessness. It adversely affects their developmental growth, making them four times as likely to get sick, and causing high levels of anxiety. There were an estimated 63,000 homeless students enrolled during the 2015-2016 school year, according to the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

On behalf of the YG 4HundredWaze Foundation, thank you for considering supporting our organization and the thousands of children currently in the Los Angeles County foster care system as well as the thousands of homeless children and families in Los Angeles County.