Part 7/11:
Residents and officials alike criticize the local approaches to homelessness, arguing that the current system relies heavily on offering minimal outreach and social services rather than enforcing accountability. The community feels that without the political will to pursue eviction, criminalization, or involuntary treatment, these encampments will only continue to grow.
The Cycle of Permissiveness and Self-Perpetuating Encampments
Experts and critics contend that Los Angeles’s leniency fuels the cycle: encampments pop up and expand, then are temporarily cleaned up or ignored, only to resurface elsewhere. When people live rent-free and have access to stolen power, drugs, and potentially stolen goods, motivation to seek treatment diminishes.