VOA常速英语:美国房租太贵，无家可归人数增加

The signs of homelessness are everywhere in Los Angeles, it is a life Destiny Prescott knows too well.“I was sleeping in a car; sleeping at the beach.”“We are seeing, you know, an increasing homelessness at an accelerating rate in Los Angeles.”Advocates say one of the main causes of homelessness is a tight supply of rental housing in areas where the poverty rate is already high.

“As the economy picks up steam, there’s more spending power (that) comes into the rental market,and a lot of it goes out again as rent increases.So rents are moving up $100, $200 at a pub (a month), no one’s income is keeping pace with that.”“The rich are getting richer and the middle class is slowly disappearing.”

Venice, a beach community in Los Angeles, is a place where homeless encampments and multimillion-dollar homes live side-by-side.“Residents find homeless people in their backyards, defecating in their backyards. The city needs to do more to serve the homeless that are vulnerable,they need to do more to serve the residents that are making the investment.”

One approach adopted by Los Angeles and around the country is the Housing First model,where a homeless person is put into permanent housing without requirements such as attending parenting classes or being free of addiction.

“The human mind needs to have a home, a safe space,and so whatever it takes we should be developing innovative approaches to creating those safe spaces that people control.”

“You know, you put them in housing, and then you wrap around cares. So you have home visits and case management and health care and mental health care.”

Destiny Prescott and her daughter found help at a housing program called PATH Gramercy.“We’re in our own space. We get to lock our door. We have our key. Like, um... It just feels nice. It makes me feel good.”

It’s the kind of solution Los Angeles hopes expand on:building new housing and turning existing buildings into permanent housing for the homeless.

Elizabeth Lee, VOA News, Los Angeles.