On a sunny afternoon in downtown Los Angeles, I was at work sitting at my desk. At the time, I worked for a permanent supportive housing provider focused mostly on the Skid Row neighborhood. As I mindlessly entered donor information into our database, it dawned on me that Los Angeles would be hosting the 2028 Olympics.
At first, I felt a rush of excitement. Living in a city that would one day hold the title of center of the sports world filled me with joy and pride. I even allowed myself to consider which Olympic events I would attend.
As I fell farther down this rabbit hole, I was snapped back to reality. Looking around me, I began to think of our work to house LA’s chronically homeless adults. I then considered how those attending the Olympics and those experiencing homelessness might intersect. Thinking of all possibilities, a wave of embarrassment and sadness washed over me.
The day this Olympic-sided thought dawned on me, Los Angeles was a decade away from hosting the event. Now, they are a mere four years away. I no longer call myself a citizen of LA, but I cannot stop thinking about the next four years. I keep wrestling with thoughts about the Olympics and the unhoused citizens of Los Angeles County.
Soon, the whole world will fix their eyes on Southern California. Your television screen will be filled with images of the Santa Monic Peir, the San Gabriel Mountains, sandy beaches, towering palm trees, and the iconic Hollywood sign. What won’t fill your screen is a battle Los Angeles has been waging for decades.
In 2018, when I worked in LA, more than 50,000 residents of Los Angeles County experienced homelessness at any given point in the year. At the time, this was an astonishing number, but there was hope. Massive investments were underway throughout the city and county, and from the state, to tackle the challenge. According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority homeless count, the population of people experiencing homelessness has ballooned to 75,000. This number is a 9% increase from 2022.
Los Angeles County is losing the battle. While monumental and admirable strides have been made to house people, too many people continue to fall into homelessness. All the initiatives to build more housing have been successful, but they have failed to keep people from falling into homelessness. The challenge before Los Angeles is a challenge of affordability.
Soon, the whole world will have their eyes fixed on Southern California.
I cannot help but wonder what the next four years will have in store for those experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County. As we draw closer to the Olympic games, I fear the government will buckle to pressure and attempt to hide the problem, rather than solve it. I also fear the homeless population will continue to grow. When the Olympic torch finally reaches Los Angeles, I expect 90,000 people (about the seating capacity of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum) may experience homelessness on any given night. That is staggering.
For those who choose to attend the games in person, how will they judge, not just Los Angeles or California, but the United States as a whole? How will they judge the wealthiest country in the history of mankind?
I can only imagine those painful conversations. I can picture the memories they will make and the stories they will take home with them. For many, I assume their perception of the United States will be shattered beyond repair.
Thinking of those potential moments of shock and horror, I find myself filled with embarrassment, shame, and rage. It didn’t have to be this way. All American cities, coast to coast and all points in between, could have written a different story. Instead of pursuing unbridled capitalism at all costs, we could have ensured that the rising tides of success lifted all boats. We could have long ago retired the myth of trickle-down economics. We could have treated addiction and mental illness with the grace and kindness they deserve. We could have stopped displacing people. We could have ended the racist policies that kept/keep people from enjoying the fruits of a booming economy. We could have treated homelessness like a crisis on par with any war we have waged in my lifetime. We could have created the world’s greatest safety net and ensured no one fell behind.
We chose a different course. And we chose wrong. The evidence is all around us.
While no one deserves to feel the sting of homelessness, we deserve to feel embarrassed and ashamed for what we have allowed to happen. My only hope is that it enrages us toward action. When the Olympic torch flickers no more in Los Angeles, I hope the next day is a new one for America. On that day, I hope we finally get serious about solving the humanitarian crisis in our backyard.
Be good to each other,
Nathan
