‘Climate Change Linked to Rising Homelessness’ – ‘Homelessness can be seen as a predictable consequence of climate disasters’ – Analysis led by UCLA finds

Climate Change Linked to Rising Homelessness

Via MyNewsLa.com: Research led by UCLA suggests climate change and natural disasters are driving increases in homelessness across the United States, with experts warning that housing stability must be a central focus of disaster response, it was announced Thursday.

The findings come from four recently published peer-reviewed studies examining homelessness nationwide and in Los Angeles County, including the impact of the 2025 wildfires and broader links between displacement and housing loss, according to researchers.

“Each home lost to climate-related events, per 10,000 people, was associated with a significant, 1 percentage point greater increase in homelessness,” Dr. Kathryn Leifheit, assistant professor in the UCLA Fielding School’s Department of Health Policy and Management, said in a statement.

“Our findings underscore the reality that homelessness can be seen as a predictable consequence of climate disasters, so governments should focus on housing stabilization in their disaster response plans, while dedicating adequate funding to provide housing-specific services.”

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The studies were published in the April editions of the Journal of the American Medical Association’s JAMA Network Open and the American Journal of Public Health, as well as the March editions of Health Affairs Scholar and Social Science & Medicine.