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DOWNLOAD the full 2010 Needs Assessment
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As the fastest
growing segment of the homeless population in the United States,
women face unique challenges and barriers. Nowhere is the issue of
homelessness more critical and transparent than in Los Angeles’ Skid
Row community. As the hub of transient communities in the United
States, Los Angeles has become what many refer to as the capital of
homelessness in America. Of this population, perhaps the most
underserved and overlooked segment are homeless, formerly homeless,
and very low-income women. With rising pressures of the recession,
homeless women are finding themselves in increasingly desperate and
undignified situations.
The
Downtown Women’s Action Coalition (DWAC)
was formed in 2001 to address the lack of resources and community
support for homeless women in downtown Los Angeles’ Skid Row. The
group’s initial focus on the rapidly growing need for emergency
relief for women has since evolved to reflect both the short- and
long-term dilemmas for women living in the downtown area. Consisting
of service providers, advocates, and downtown residents, DWAC
conducted its first Needs Assessment in 2001 with the aim of
articulating gaps in community resources through the creation of a
strong research-based tool that could be used for policy-making and
activism.
The 2010 Downtown Women’s Needs Assessment, a community-based
research project, is the fourth in a series of surveys focusing on
the needs, characteristics, and conditions facing homeless and other
very low-income women living downtown. The purpose of the project
and the resulting report is: 1) to provide updated data on the most
immediate issues and needs of women living downtown, and 2) to
provide much needed information and analysis about violence against
women, gaps in women’s health, and the evergrowing need for
affordable, permanent housing.
Primary Findings
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Women are suffering
from long-term, chronic homelessness more than ever. Forty
(39.3) percent of the women stated they were homeless for five
years or more, a ten percent jump from the 2007 survey.
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Due to chronic
homelessness, this population faces aging and end of life
issues. Nearly half (47 percent) of the women surveyed were 51
years and older. In addition to their struggles to get basic
needs met, this segment must also grapple with ageing issues.
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The survey found
gaps in education prominent in this population. Over a third
(36.4 percent) lacked a high school diploma or GED equivalent.
Only eight (7.6) percent had college degrees-- the lowest level
since this creation of this study in 2001.
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In the past year, a
majority (62 percent) of women— had slept in an emergency or
transitional shelter, and over half had slept on the streets, in
an abandoned building, a vehicle, or a park.
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Nearly three-fourths
(72.8 percent) of the women surveyed identified affordable
permanent housing as the biggest need in the community.
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The barriers to
obtaining affordable housing remain unchanged from past surveys.
Most (64.2 percent) women identified waiting lists as the main
obstacle in obtaining housing.
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Nearly half (49.3
percent) of the women surveyed had faced sexual assault,
domestic violence or child abuse in their lifetime. Of these
women, a shocking 72.3 percent said that they were not offered
services or help to deal with the after-effects of the violence.
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Resources to address
the health and well being of this community were identified as
severely lacking. When asked about their general health, 54.7
percent of respondents rated it as fair or poor. Additionally,
62.5 percent said they had a disability and half were affected
by mental illness.
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Of the 15.8 percent
of women that indicated an abnormal Pap smear or mammogram
result in the past three years, nearly half (47.6 percent) were
not able to get follow-up treatment.
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Less than ten (9.7)
percent of women surveyed believed there were employment
opportunities available downtown-- the lowest response ever.
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Nearly a third (30.8
percent) of women surveyed had received a ticket or citation in
the past year. Half (50 percent) of the infractions were for
jaywalking. Pedestrian signal violations can cost between $159
and $191 — a steep cost for individuals on a monthly fixed
income ranging from $200 to $800, or with no income at all. If
citations go unpaid, a warrant for arrest can be issued which,
in turn, jeopardizes an individual’s ability to access or
maintain housing.
Acknowledgements
The Downtown Women’s Action Coalition (DWAC) would like to deeply
thank the women residents of downtown Los Angeles who shared their
stories and truly gave voice to the needs of their community. DWAC
sincerely appreciates the spirit with which women participated in
this survey; without their interviews, this research project would
not have been possible.
We gratefully recognize the more than 40 volunteers who dedicated
their time and support for this project. As with our previous three
reports, this project was enriched by the involvement of diverse
community members.
This report was prepared for DWAC by Anchal Bibra. The following
DWAC members and supporters also contributed considerable time and
effort to making the report possible: Patrick Shandrick for report
design and layout; Becky Dennison and Deborah Burton for data entry
and feedback; Barbara Holtwick for data entry; Esther Alejandro for
Spanish translation of survey instrument; Brianna Freiheit, Carolyn
Gray Anderson, and Molly Moen for editing; Amanda Peterson and
Samantha Stanley for research support; and Steven Alvarez and Kelly
Rios for their leadership with the instrument design and survey
implementation process. We greatly appreciate all other DWAC members
for providing input and assisting with various aspects of the
project.
Finally, DWAC would like to recognize community organizations who
participated in the project, for donating staff time, gifts for
respondents, resources for volunteer stipends, lunch for volunteers,
and space for interviews at their sites:
Downtown Women’s Center
Lamp Community
Los Angeles Community Action Network
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Los Angeles Mission – Anne Douglas Center for Women
Planned Parenthood
Skid Row Housing Trust
St. Vincent’s Cardinal Manning Center
Union Rescue Mission
Volunteers of America
Note:
The abovementioned participating organizations supported this
project in a variety of ways.
However, the opinions, conclusions, and recommendations in this
report do not necessarily reflect the views of all of the
participating agencies.
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