Poll: One Third of Los Angeles Residents Fear Becoming Homeless, Half Have Provided Shelter

Homelessness in the L.A. area has become an issue which many residents have real fear of or experience with, according to a Gallup survey released today by the Fannie Mae Foundation and the United Way Of Greater Los Angeles. Half of the respondents in the survey had taken in a friend or relative who otherwise faced homelessness. A third said they had themselves feared going without a home. This is slightly higher than the average (28%) when the country as a whole is surveyed.

L.A. area residents often said they worried about becoming homeless because of a high cost of living. Almost half of the respondents said they worried about losing a home due to medical bills, and 41% said it was the high cost of housing along with fear of income loss. The lack of affordable housing was agreed to be a major contributor to homelessness, and most people surveyed felt the community should construct more affordable housing.

Most residents felt that more should be done and were willing to pay more taxes or to spend time volunteering to help the homeless. While most people (45%) thought programs to deal with the homeless were doing "a good job, but more effort is needed", 25% thought the efforts were "a poor job".

"Clearly, as the Gallup survey shows us, the issue of homelessness is highly important to the people of Greater Los Angeles," said Elise Buik, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Los Angeles. "That's why United Way and the Fannie Mae Foundation are raising awareness and funds this coming Saturday with HomeWalk, our first annual family 5K walk at Exposition Park. We invite everyone who cares about this critical issue to bring your family and friends and learn how to address poverty and homelessness in our community."