In 2022, on any given night in the U.S., there were over 130,000 people who identify as Latino experiencing homelessness, up 8% from 2020. In California, the numbers are even more staggering, as the total number of unhoused Latinx Californians increased by 22% in the same period.
Yet, as a community—many Latinx seem to believe that homelessness could never happen to us. Strong family and social support are often cited as the main reasons for why that’s the case.
I’ve certainly heard as much in my own community in East Los Angeles, despite rising rental costs and displacement. Indeed, more than two thirds of Latinxs polled in 2021 said they were “not too worried” or “not at all worried” about experiencing a period of homelessness in California.
