UCLA

Anti-homeless laws and policing may influence the spatial behaviors and harm the health of unhoused persons. Using the reintroduction of camping ordinances in Los Angeles (LA) County as a case study, this mixed methods dissertation explored the impacts of anti-homeless practices on the geographic patterns, daily routines and spatial movement, and health trajectories of LA’s unsheltered population. My first dissertation aim described the spatiotemporal patterns of unsheltered homelessness across census tracts in LA County (N=2,163) prior to and following the implementation of a camping law using longitudinal ecological analysis and a difference-in-differences approach. I then explored narratives of the impact of anti-homeless laws, policing, and related displacement on their activity spaces, perception of place, and health through a qualitative interview study with 13 unhoused Angelenos for my second aim. My third aim examined the longitudinal associations between exposure to and perceptions of camping laws, policing, physical displacement, and health among a prospective cohort of unsheltered persons in LA County (N=731) using hierarchical generalized linear modeling.Aim 1 revealed changes in the geographic distribution of unsheltered homelessness after the implementation of the City of LA’s camping ordinance—showing broader movement patterns of the unsheltered population into more concealed areas, areas with a lower probability of encountering police and hostile residents, and areas with greater tolerance for visible homelessness. However, the adoption of zones of camping law enforcement in certain areas was not associated with significant decreases in the surrounding unsheltered population. Aim 2 highlighted how anti-homeless policing increases anxiety, erodes social connections, and disrupts the daily routines of unsheltered people to exacerbate their sense of insecurity and mental and physical health conditions. Aim 3 found that exposure to various types of anti-homeless policing interactions, chiefly encounters with police and experiences with sweeps, along with being concerned about the consequences of camping bans on their livelihood generally resulted in poorer physical health, increased psychological distress, and greater social isolation. Dissertation findings can inform future research on the spatial and health impacts of criminalization and advance advocacy efforts calling for comprehensive and compassionate solutions that prioritize housing and support services over punitive measures.