‘We’re not trying to punish anyone’: This LA man created a device to deter unhoused people from sleeping outside his condo complex — but some residents would like to see ‘a better solution’

“It makes me sad that that’s what we’re doing to get people to move on. On the other hand, this is someone’s business, it’s their livelihood,” she told NBC. “We need just a better solution to the homeless situation.”

Homelessness: A national issue

This local initiative comes amid a national surge in homelessness. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), over 770,000 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2024, marking the largest number since data collection began and 19% more than in 2007.

Factors contributing to this rise include rising inflation, stagnating wages among middle- and lower-income households and a severe shortage of affordable housing, with median rent increasing by 18% since 2020, says the National Alliance to End Homelessness, and a deficit of over 7 million affordable rental homes nationwide, according to National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates.

Notably, the baby boomer generation is facing homelessness at unprecedented rates. People aged 65 and older are now the fastest-growing group among the homeless population, with Justice in Aging projections indicating their numbers will peak by 2030. Many in this demographic struggle with rising housing costs on fixed incomes.

In fact, in the 2024 HUD report, about one in five people experiencing homelessness on a single night was 55 or older. Almost half of adults in this age group (46%) were experiencing homelessness in "places not meant for human habitation."

While a chirper may get rid of people occupying public stairways, it does nothing to address the broader issue at large — and a substantial solution remains to be seen.