Clearing Homeless Encampments is a Crisis from D.C. to Venice Beach

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Homeless encampments on Connecticut Avenue NW, in Dupont
Circle, Washington D.C. | Tyrone Turner/WAMU

Washington Post poll shows 75 percent of D.C. residents support shutting down large homeless tent encampments. The support crosses age, income and racial groups. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s program has drawn the ire of homeless advocates, the ACLU and some local politicians. But, they are isolated voices. The public is not supportive of their position.

In Los Angeles “amid deep frustration over widespread, visible homelessness,” more than half of voters “want the government to act faster and focus on shelters for people living on the streets, even if those efforts are short-term and fall short of permanent housing” (57% short-term solutions to 30% long-term housing) (LA Times and LA Business Council Institute, 12-21). Ninety-four percent of residents believe homelessness is a “serious” or “very serious” problem, 79 percent said homelessness has gotten worse and 20 percent said they have considered moving out of their neighborhood because of camps. They associate it with crime and a less safe environment.

Homeless encampment along the Venice Beach boardwalk,
May 2021 | Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times

Every candidate running for LA mayor to replace Eric Garcetti has made homelessness their top issue. They have been forced to address the issue in a political environment of deep skepticism due to previous promised solutions and commitments of hundreds of millions of dollars for housing and programs providing little improvement.

Even California statewide politics is being affected by the public’s concern about homelessness. A February poll by Berkeley IGS shows that homelessness and crime are areas of greatest criticism for Governor Gavin Newsom as his approval sinks and now barely exceeds disapproval (48% approve, 47% disapprove). Two-thirds of California voters believe Newsom is doing a “poor” or “very poor” job in handling the issue of homelessness up 12 points since 2020.

Democratic controlled jurisdictions are unhappy with their leadership and it’s shaping the hostile environment the party is operating in during 2022.

Read The Buzz: Homelessness is Becoming a Political Crisis