In Los Angeles County, unhoused people living in cars, trucks, and RVs outnumber those in tents and makeshift shelters by 50%, yet vehicular homelessness receives relatively little attention. Many cities don’t even measure or report on it — at least not yet. The Lewis Center’s Madeline Brozen joins to discuss her research on the distinct demographics and experiences of unhoused people living out of their vehicles, and the promise of safe parking programs to support the transition back into stable housing.

Show notes:

• Giamarino, C., Brozen, M., & Blumenberg, E. (2023). Planning for and against vehicular homelessness: Spatial trends and determinants of vehicular dwelling in Los Angeles. Journal of the American Planning Association, 89(1), 80-92.
• Giamarino, C., Blumenberg, E., & Brozen, M. (2022). Who Lives in Vehicles and Why? Understanding Vehicular Homelessness in Los Angeles. Housing Policy Debate, 1-14.
• Episode 53 of UCLA Housing Voice, with Vinit Mukhija on informal housing.
• Read more about the 2023 National Point-In-Time Homeless Count, which showed a 12% increase from the previous year, to 653,000 people.
• Wakin, M. (2013). Otherwise Homeless: Vehicle living and the culture of homelessness. Lynne Rienner Publishers.
• Visit TheyCountWillYou.org to volunteer for the annual Point-In-Time Homeless Count in Los Angeles County on January 24-26, 2024. If you live in another part of the U.S., search online for a homeless count happening near you.
• Click here to learn more about the New Beginnings safe parking program in Santa Barbara.