Even if you have never visited the city of Los Angeles, you probably know that poverty is widespread in the area. Thousands of homeless people scatter the streets every night in order to get a night’s sleep before hitting the pavement again. In fact, the homeless population in Los Angeles is becoming a well established community on the streets. Many have managed to build makeshift houses in order to establish more permanent living spaces. Tents are also very popular among the permanent transients of LA. Amazingly, each night in the city of angels, forty three thousand homeless people take to the streets for sleep. So why is the homeless population in LA out of control? Doesn’t the city provide homeless shelters for less fortunate residents? Of course, the population of LA makes it the second most populous city in the United States with nearly four million residents. Naturally, the homeless population in the city is also larger than normal. However, this is not the only reason for the densely populated homeless areas in the city. Actually, much of the city’s homeless population refuses to reside within charitable shelters due to constant bed bug infestations that are allegedly not dealt with properly by the officials that run the shelters.
Not long ago the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority investigated the sharp decrease in homeless individuals residing within non-profit homeless shelters. The organization concluded that several of the city’s shelters are having safety and sanitation problems. Many of these shelters, to be more specific, are failing to have bed bug infestations eradicated, which is pushing more homeless people onto the streets. The city’s public health department also conducts inspections on shelters that are financed by the government, but they do not conduct follow up inspections that confirm compliance; instead, a letter of compliance is sent to the shelters. Many of the shelters are not financed with government funds, which means that the usual oversight that ensures regulation compliance is nearly non-existent. Without proper oversight that would guarantee that pest control services are consulted regularly, it will always be a short matter of time before bed bugs become permanent guests within non-profit and privately funded homeless shelters. Until better oversight is established, bed bugs will be the only ones staying within the homeless shelters in Los Angeles.
Do you think that homeless shelters across America see an unusually high rate of bed bug infestations?
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