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

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) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]