The UN’s sustainable development goal 10 in California: the overrepresentation of African Americans among the homeless population in Los Angeles

Abstract

Homelessness has become an ongoing crisis in Los Angeles County. Recent data proved that homelessness should be understood as a racialized phenomenon, as racial and ethnic minorities represent more than half of the people experiencing homelessness in the United States although accounting for less than a quarter of the overall population. To narrow the research, this dissertation is going to focus on Black people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County. The hypothesis of this BA dissertation is that the overrepresentation of African Americans among the homeless population is not linked to individual -level choices but is the byproduct of the structural and institutional racism present in the United States. Therefore, the aim of this dissertation is to historically analyze how racial inequalities present in different social systems –including housing, employment, urban segregation, and criminal justice – have led to African Americans experiencing higher rates of homelessness. In addition, the dissertation is going to address the United States, more specifically Los Angeles County, footsteps towards Sustainable Development Goal 10 “Reduce Inequalities within and among countries”. The results of the dissertation show that the legacy of racial inequalities and discrimination is still present nowadays in the United States and has a visible impact on homelessness rates. Some recommendations suggested to address racial inequalities within the homeless population include recognizing homelessness as a racialized phenomenon influenced by structural and institutional racism and improving homeless count-data methods and homelessness response systems to reflect the unique experience of racial/ethnic minorities.