#195: Unsheltered life in L.A. can be dangerous and even deadly — and there has been a massive increase in the death rate for unhoused people in the county over the last few years.

There is work being done by the mayor's office to get people off the street and into temporary housing. But the promise of services —  whether in the form of housing, treatment for substance addiction, or mental health counseling — cannot help if people aren't alive in 6 months, a year — or 5 — to receive them. 

While they wait, many unhoused people have come to rely on mutual aid volunteers to cover their immediate needs, from overdose prevention to fresh drinking water.

In part one of our 3-part series, HTLA host Brian De Los Santos and producer Evan Jacoby explore what these mutual aid groups actually do for our unhoused neighbors.

Guests: Ndindi Kitonga, founder Palms Unhoused Mutual Aid (PUMA); Jesse Goldshear,  volunteer with PUMA and  postdoc researcher studying public health at the University of California, San Diego; Aria Cataño, co-founder of WaterDrop LA; Sade Kammen, volunteer with WaterDrop LA and social worker in Skid Row

Music in this episode composed by: Chris Schlarb, Dexter Thomas, Evan Jacoby, Geir Sundstøl, K. Leimer, Nala Sinephro, Laurie Spiegal, Meitei, Ricky Eat Acid, Woo