Majority Of Voters Frustrated With Homelessness Crisis, Poll Finds

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A new poll has found that nearly 80% of Los Angeles voters said homelessness has deteriorated in recent years and have gone from feeling frustrated to exasperated.

Commissioned by the L.A. Business Council and the L.A. Times and conducted by the Hart Research Team in Washington D.C., the survey of 1,000 voters was carried out throughout October and November. The L.A. Business Council said that it commissioned the survey to bring the issue to the forefront as the mayoral and supervisorial debates approach in the coming months.

It determined that by a 2-1 margin voters favored short-term solutions as opposed to long-term solutions. Two years ago they were evenly divided on the issue.

The poll also found that 85% of voters support the right to shelter, 37% said they felt unsafe in their neighborhood and 20% said they have thought of moving.

"The issue of L.A. homelessness feels like the 2021 urban equivalent of the Vietnam War after the Tet Offensive — there is not a lot of optimism this war won easily," said researcher Peter D. Hart.

According to the poll, voters have blamed leadership, not the lack of policies for L.A.'s homelessness crisis.

"This is all about bringing dialogue engagement solution," said Los Angeles Business Council President Mary Leslie. "This is everybody's problem so everyone should be engaged in the solutions."