Homelessness, Discrimination, and Violent Victimization in Los Angeles County.

People experiencing homelessness (PEH) are highly vulnerable to discrimination and violence, which impact physical and mental health. The study examines past-month discrimination and violence against PEH in Los Angeles County (LAC). A total of 332 PEH in LAC were surveyed about their past-month experiences with discrimination, physical violence, and sexual violence from April–July 2023. Analyses were conducted in 2023. 31.8% of respondents reported experiencing discrimination daily and 53.9% reported it weekly, whereas rates of lifetime discrimination in studies of general populations of minoritized groups range between 13-60%. Nearly half of respondents who reported experiencing discrimination (49.6%) believed that their housing situation was the reason they were targeted. Victimization was also common, with 16.0% of participants experiencing physical violence and 7.5% experiencing sexual violence in the past 30 days. These rates of past- month victimization are high when compared to past- year physical violence (3.0%) and sexual violence (0.24%) among general populations in major U.S. cities. In multivariate regression analyses, discrimination was associated with being unsheltered in a vehicle (p <0.05) or outdoors (p <0.001), weekly illicit drug use (p <0.01), and psychological distress (p <0.001); violent victimization was associated with being sheltered (p <0.05) or unsheltered outdoors (p <0.001), physical health conditions (p <0.05), and psychological distress (p <0.01); and sexual victimization was associated with non-male gender (p <0.05) and being unsheltered outdoors (p <0.05). Discrimination and victimization outcomes were not associated with any race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or time homeless characteristics. Study findings highlight the dangers of homelessness in the U.S., particularly for those who are unsheltered outdoors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]