LOS ANGELES - A new report from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health shows a significant decline in overdose deaths among people experiencing homelessness in the MacArthur Park area, reflecting the impact of expanded harm reduction, street medicine, and outreach services in the community.
According to Lives Lost: Mortality Trends and Prevention Opportunities for People Experiencing Homelessness in Los Angeles County, 2015–2024, overdose deaths among people experiencing homelessness in ZIP code 90057 — which includes MacArthur Park and surrounding neighborhoods — decreased by 32.8% between 2023 and 2024, dropping from 64 deaths to 43.
The report also shows a broader regional trend. Across the County’s Metro Service Planning Area (SPA 4), which includes Council District 1, overdose deaths among people experiencing homelessness fell from 467 in 2023 to 323 in 2024, a 30.8% decrease.
Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who represents the MacArthur Park area and a significant part of Metro SPA 4, said the findings demonstrate the impact of treating substance use and homelessness as a public health issue rather than relying on failed approaches.
“People cannot access treatment, reconnect with family, or get on the pathway to housing if they aren’t alive,” said Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez. “That’s why our office has fought to launch and expand harm reduction, street medicine, and overdose response in the MacArthur Park area, a neighborhood that for too long has been deemed disposable. Meeting people where they are, with healthcare and resources, saves lives and helps people stabilize so they can move toward recovery and housing.”
Since taking office, Councilmember Hernandez has helped expand a network of life-saving interventions around MacArthur Park and across the district, including:
- Street medicine teams that deliver medical care directly to people living outdoors
- Mobile overdose response and harm reduction services, including naloxone distribution and hazardous material disposal
- Interim housing facilities like Northeast New Beginnings, which provide wraparound services and harm reduction support to help residents stabilize and transition toward permanent housing. Since opening, Northeast New Beginnings has already helped dozens of people exit homelessness and move toward permanent housing while receiving supportive services. A 64-bed expansion is currently underway and set to be completed by early summer.
One key Council District 1 partner in 2024 was The Sidewalk Project, a frontline harm reduction organization working in the neighborhood to expand access to overdose prevention tools and services. Through initiatives like the Tree of Life Program, naloxone was placed in accessible locations throughout the community so it could be used immediately during emergencies.
“It is not hyperbole to say that harm reduction saves lives,” said Soma Snakeoil, Executive Director and Co-founder of The Sidewalk Project. “From 2023 to 2024, The Sidewalk Project saturated the MacArthur Park community with thousands of doses of naloxone. On average, 113 lives were saved through overdose reversal per month and 1,240 overdose reversals in total (through November 2024). This was a 27.0% increase in the average number of lives saved per month and a 26.3% increase in the total number of lives saved this time last year. This was possible through a new infusion of dollars into harm reduction through opiate settlement funds. During this time, Los Angeles County had a 22% decrease in overdose deaths in 2024, further proof that the work of harm reduction and the investments that Councilmember Hernandez has made have saved lives."
Council District 1 also partnered with Homeless Health Care Los Angeles (HHCLA) to expand street medicine and harm reduction services in the MacArthur Park area. While that partnership only fully came online toward the end of 2024, health leaders say the early results demonstrate the potential for even greater impact moving forward.
“The release of this report sends a clear message that harm reduction services continue to save lives,” said Dr. Darren Willett, Director of the Center for Harm Reduction. “From the integral role these services played in curbing the HIV crisis of the 80s and 90s, to their current role in achieving one of the most drastic reductions in overdose death that the MacArthur Park community and LA County has ever seen, harm reduction continues to deliver an evidence base to effectively mitigate the most pressing public health concerns faced by the most vulnerable members of our communities. This report also serves as a reminder that now is no time for complacency. We must continue to invest in these life-saving services to put boots on the ground that continue to keep this devastating overdose crisis at bay and stand at-the-ready to tackle any new public health threats that may emerge.”
The Public Health report highlights the importance of continuing to expand exactly the types of interventions that Councilmember Hernandez has championed. Among its key recommendations are:
- Expanding harm reduction and overdose prevention services wherever people experiencing homelessness are located
- Increasing access to clinically effective addiction medications and treatment
- Expanding peer-led outreach and services from people with lived experience
- Reducing barriers to substance use treatment through community-based engagement and care
Councilmember Hernandez said the findings affirm that public health-centered strategies are critical to reducing deaths and stabilizing communities.
“The data confirms what public health experts and frontline workers have been telling us for years: harm reduction works. Street medicine works. Peer outreach works,” said Councilmember Hernandez. “When we invest in care first, fewer people die – and every single life saved matters.”