Homelessness in Venice has been a problem for many years, and it’s only been getting worse. Mayor Eric Garcetti has been trying to get shelters built in the Venice area, but has been facing legal trouble because of lawsuits involving the placement of these shelters. The building of the second of the shelters, which was planned to be in an abandoned bus yard on Main Street, was widely opposed by the people of Venice.  A crowd of over 400 people protested the shelter during multiple hearings.

Los Angeles’ ever growing homeless population has been skyrocketing and there is now believed to be around 1,000 undomiciled (homeless) people living in Venice alone. Many Venice residents complain about the increase of needles found laying on the streets and the piles of trash in streets and alleyways.

Another issue being brought up against the homeless population is crimes being committed by them, which I believe is why there is a stigma against the homeless population as a whole.

I personally believe that there is no actual solution to the homeless problem because the homeless population will continually grow as prices in the area get more expensive and housing gets scarcer. One reason I believe that there is no solution is because of part of the homeless population doesn’t want to be sheltered due to the fact that in shelters, illegal substances are easily tracked and are hard to acquire, which they don’t want.