Predicting and Preventing Homelessness in Los Angeles

REPORT: Predicting and Preventing Homelessness in Los Angeles 

PRESS RELEASE: Report: LA Could Better Target Homeless Prevention Services with Predictive Analytics

The California Policy Lab and the University of Chicago Poverty Lab have used Los Angeles County data on multi-system service use to predict homelessness among single adults receiving mainstream County services. By identifying people at high risk of first-time homelessness or returns to homelessness and understanding risk factors associated with future homelessness, the County can more effectively target its homelessness prevention efforts to ensure limited resources are going to those most likely to benefit from them.

Since publication of the 2019 report, CPL has partnered with Los Angeles County on a pilot program to identify and reach out to L.A. residents at the highest risk of homelessness.

Learn more about the pilot by reading this LA Times article: A computer model predicts who will become homeless in L.A. Then these workers step in or by listening to this NPR story: Los Angeles is using AI to predict who might become homeless and help before they do

Select media coverage of Predicting and Preventing Homelessness in Los Angeles:

NPR, All Things Considered: Los Angeles is using AI to predict who might become homeless and help before they do (October 4, 2023)

Los Angeles Times: A computer model predicts who will become homeless in L.A. Then these workers step in. (June 12, 2022)

KREM 2 News: EWU research creates model to predict and prevent homelessness (February 15, 2023)

KCRW: Identifying who’s likely to become homeless: Are run-ins with cops predictors? (Jun 23, 2022)

Spectrum News 1: A computer model can predict who will become homeless in LA (July 25, 2022)

LAist: New LA County Program Aims To Help People At Risk Of Being Unhoused (November 30, 2021)

NPR’s Marketplace Morning Report: Can a computer model reveal who is about to become homeless? LA County is finding out  (January 23, 2020)

Los Angeles Times: Is there a way to predict who will become homeless? These UCLA researchers say yes  (December 27, 2019)

ABC 7 News: Preventing homelessness: Algorithm can identify LA County residents most likely to lose housing (December 17, 2019)

LA Daily News: LA County officials unveil a way to predict homelessness, in effort ‘to get to more people sooner’ (December 16, 2019)