A common myth: Those on the street came here to take advantage of our weather

There is a common misperception that most of the people we see who are experiencing homelessness here in L.A. County come from “somewhere else,” that they’re not from Los Angeles, or even California, but have moved here or “been shipped” from other states.

This is, very simply, not true.

I have worked with cities all over the country on the issue of homelessness – from Washington State to Florida, from New England to California, and in every state and city I’ve been in, I’ve been told that “the homeless” are from somewhere else. In New England they came because “they have good services”, in Florida and California, it is the weather.

So, what do the facts say?

Numerous research studies have been done that clearly show that individuals or families, when they lose their housing and are forced into living on the streets, do not move to other places. In fact, both evidence and experience show that people try and stay as close to their home community as possible. They stay where they grew up, had jobs, had their last home, or have connections such as family, friends, faith groups, or doctors and therapists. There is a greater sense of safety and belonging when staying close to home – something easily lost when you become unhoused.

The other issue is that people experiencing homelessness don’t have the financial means to hop on a bus or airplane and travel across the country, or even the state – only to end up in a strange city without connections or the knowledge of where to go to get help. Would you choose to move to a city like Los Angeles with no money or connections?

Research done in Los Angeles has shown that over 75% of unhoused adults here have lived in Southern California for more than 20 years and 87% have lived here more than five years. It is true that some few people initially moved here from other places – often for jobs or opportunity. It was only after moving here that things fell apart for some – maybe because the loss of a job, or a health issue and the high cost of living and housing resulted in homelessness. In other words, a person may have been originally from Iowa, but became homeless while living in L.A.

So why do people make the claim that “those experiencing homelessness in our communities are not from here?” Sadly, it too often means that communities, elected officials, and others reject that it’s our issue to solve. They feel that these people are not our people, our neighbors, so why should we be forced to look after them? I cannot count the number of times I’ve heard, “let’s put them on a bus and send them back to where they came from.”

The fact is that most of the people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles are from Los Angeles or surrounding counties. But the most important fact of all, is that regardless of where these people came from, they are now our neighbors – unhoused, yes, but still deserving of help, compassion, support, and justice.

Whether you come from Pasadena or Pittsburgh, you deserve of a safe home and the ability to live your best life.

Anne Miskey is president and CEO of Union Station Homeless Services and host of Changing the Narrative About Homelessness Podcast. Her “A Way Home” column appears bi-weekly.