Marcus sits on his usual corner, back against the weathered brick of a closed storefront, when the robot rounds the corner at exactly 7:42 AM. It’s a humanoid model, scratched and dented—clearly refurbished, not new. It stops three feet away, maintaining respectful distance.
“Good morning, Marcus. My name is HAVEN-247. The city’s housing services program assigned me to assist you. I’m not here to judge, arrest, or relocate you. I’m here to help if you want help, and to leave you alone if you don’t.”
Marcus stares. Another goddamn program. Another social worker, except this one’s made of metal and doesn’t even pretend to care. He’s seen a thousand well-meaning interventions come and go. Why would a robot be any different?
By identifying patterns in successful rehousing, a research team in L.A. is working to make the housing system more efficient
In Hollywood, nestled between a strip mall and a recording studio where bands like the Rolling Stones have recorded, the residents of a small homeless encampment greet passers by with a friendly “Hi, hello, how are you doing?”
Some people respond in kind; others seem nervous and terse. But according to one of the most outgoing people here, Cedric — who didn’t want to give his last name — they simply hope that if their neighbors see them as friendly and nonthreatening, they won’t call the cops and have their tents removed. L.A. police and the Bureau of Sanitation have become increasingly strict about the “cleanup” of homeless encampments, even though most residents here have nowhere to move to.
Los Angeles has the second largest homeless population in the U.S. after New York, with an estimated 52,765 homeless individuals in 2018. The numbers are compiled by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), a city agency that helps get people off the streets — and LAHSA says the number of people experiencing homelessness for the first time is increasing.
In an initiative started in January 2018, LAHSA is now sharing data from the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) with researchers at the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society (CAIS) at the University of Southern California. The researchers are using the data to build a system that can identify behaviors and outcomes, and allocate the type of housing with the greatest statistical chance of long-term success, while also reducing racial discrimination in the system. The project — Housing Allocation for Homeless Persons: Fairness, Transparency, and Efficiency in Algorithmic Design — brings together researchers from both the engineering and social work schools.
A toxic combination of slow wage growth and skyrocketing rents has put housing out of reach for a greater number of people.
Daniel Olguin, 28, works on his computer in the front of his van, while his wife, Mary, 26, checks on their almost-2-year-old child in the back. The couple, who have a band called Carpoolparty, have traveled around the U.S. since 2017, playing gigs with their electronic pop music whenever they can. Daniel, who was recently diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, says his parents kicked the couple out on Christmas Day a few years ago, but they have since reconciled. The two musicians have been in Los Angeles for about five months, and use the quiet and safety of the Safe Parking L.A. lot in the Koreatown section of the city to work on their music and sleep. According to a 2018 count done by Los Angeles County, there are more than 15,700 people living in 9,100 vehicles every night. These vehicle dwellers represent over 25 percent of the homeless population in L.A. County.
Why is this quiet trend is about to reverse itself?
There is some good news among the most vulnerable segment of American society despite a housing crisis, a great recession, rising income inequality, and elevated poverty. An estimated 633,000 population of homeless in America has declined in the last decade.
Young adults find ways to access the Internet even without a roof over their heads.
Social scientists found that 75 percent of the homeless youth they surveyed use social networks and that their usage patterns were remarkably similar to college students. in a new intriguing study..
Treading a thin line between totally unethical/wrong and gainful temporary employment, companies at SXSW Music Festival are hiring homeless people to act as WiFi hotspots. Here’s how it works:…
