With a population of about 85,000 people, Hawthorne has become a city known for its association with up and coming tech businesses. Hawthorne is the headquarters for Space X. In addition, the city is the design center for Tesla Motors.

More information on Hawthorne city services and resources can be obtained at City Hall:

4455 West 126^th Street
Hawthorne, California 90250
(310) 349-2901

In recent years, Hawthorne has seen an increase in its homeless population. This has resulted in an array of different issues and problems, both for the homeless population and for other residents of the community as well.

One of the primary reasons for the increase of homelessness, and the growth of homeless encampments, in Hawthorne, is the steady migration of homeless individuals and families from downtown and central LA into surrounding neighborhood and communities. Hawthorne has not been immune from the migration of homeless people into its neighborhoods. This migratory trend of homeless individuals and families leaving the core of Los Angeles and heading to communities like Hawthorne is not expected to abate any time soon.

Drug Dangers at Hawthorne Homeless Encampments

One of the dangers associated with Hawthorne homeless encampments is the use of drugs. In fact, multifaceted dangers are associated with the use of drugs by some people in Hawthorne homeless encampments.

First, the use of drugs in a Hawthorne homeless encampment heightens criminal activity in and around the encampment. This includes the neighborhood in which an encampment is located. Criminal activity includes the use of illicit drugs themselves but also the buying and selling these mind-altering substances and the presence of drug dealers.

When it comes to criminal activity associated with drug use in a Hawthorne homeless encampment, other crimes like theft also notch up in the surrounding neighborhood. A notable percentage of individuals who use illegal drugs engage in other criminal activity like theft to support their habits.

Second, the use of drugs in homeless encampments in the city also increases health risks in an encampment and in the surrounding neighborhood as well. For example, an illegal drug like heroin can be injected (and oftentimes is taken in this manner). Needles are used and even reused and then discarded on the ground, with no regard for the safety of others.

A good many drug users have contracted contagious diseases like hepatitis. The sharing of needles and accidentally getting stuck by discarded needles can result in the spread of these diseases.

Other Types of Criminal Activity at Hawthorne Homeless Encampments

Drug-related crimes are not the only types of criminality that occur at and around Hawthorne homeless encampments. Assaults are on the list of the more common types of crimes that occur at and around homeless encampments in the city. In most instances, assaults involve residents of homeless encampments fighting with one another. However, with some regularity, a resident of a homeless encampment assault a non-resident, a member of the general public.

Prostitution also tends to be a crime that does occur with some frequency at or near a Hawthorne homes encampment. There are individuals in homeless encampments, including men and women, who turn to the sex trade for money.

There are other less serious, but nonetheless disturbing, crimes that are oftentimes associated with homeless encampments. These include public urination and indecent exposure.

The Impact of Homeless Encampments on Community Safety Across Hawthorne

Because law enforcement has to devote a disproportionate amount of time dealing with issues associated with homeless encampments, the Hawthorne Police Department has less time and resources for other locations in the community. Thus, the presence of a homeless encampment in one part of Hawthorne does have an impact on other areas in the city as well, including neighborhoods that are not particularly close to an encampment. More information on police department resources and their allocation in Hawthorne can be obtained at:

Hawthorne Police Department
12501 South Hawthorne Boulevard
Hawthorne, California 90250
(310) 349-2700

Homeless Encampment Cleanup in Hawthorne

Due to the biohazards that accumulate in this type of environment, professional homeless encampment cleanup in Hawthorne is the surest way of undertaking safe, comprehensive remediation of a site. This includes the proper collection and disposition of needles and other drug paraphernalia that can be found at a Hawthorne homeless encampment.

Resources for Homeless People in Hawthorne

There are no homeless shelters in Hawthorne. However, there are homeless shelters, food banks, and soup kitchens in fairly close proximity to Hawthorne that can be found in this directory.