A Profile of L.A.’s Poor in Turbulent Times

New Brief on Poverty
January 27^th, 2009

A Profile of L.A.'s Poor in Turbulent Times has been published by United Way of Greater Los Angeles.

This policy brief profiles the poor in L.A. County in the precarious balance between making ends meet and avoiding homelessness. Items examined include: people and families in extreme poverty (below half of the federal poverty threshold), public benefits participation (General Relief and Food Stamps), unemployment rates for L.A. County (including comparisons to the state of California), housing costs (growth in fair market rental rates, vs. median wages), increases in foreclosures and more.

Selected Findings:

• Over half a million people in L.A. County live in extreme poverty: Extreme poverty translates to:1 person earning less than $5,200 a year, or a family of four earning less than $10,600 a year (referenced on pg. 1).
• About 1 in 4 renters in L.A. County face extreme rent burden—paying 50% or more of their income on rent (referenced on pg. 4).
• In the first half of the decade (2000 to 2005), L.A. County Fair Market Rental Rates (defined as close to median rents) for 1 and 2 bedroom apartments grew 80 times greater than median wages in the County in the same period (referenced on pg. 3).
• Some areas of L.A. County (including areas in Montebello, Long Beach and Glendale) experienced a 1,000 percent or more increase in foreclosures last year (referenced on pg. 4).