More homeless encampments appearing beyond skid row

Roy Carter, 57, sweeps the sidewalk where his belongings are gathered on South Hope Street in downtown L.A. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Jan. 24, 2015 10 AM PT

Over the last two years, street encampments have jumped their historic boundaries in downtown Los Angeles, lining freeways and filling underpasses from Echo Park to South Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a city-county agency, received 767 calls about street encampments in 2014, up 60% from the 479 in 2013.

Arthur Valenzuela, 18, right, and Miguel Hernandez, 50, left, haul water to their tents in a homeless encampment near the Arroyo Seco riverbed. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Miguel Hernandez, 50, drinks water outside his tent. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Miguel Hernandez, 50, hangs blankets to dry on a line in the homeless encampment where he lives. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a city-county agency, received 767 calls about street encampments in 2014, up 60% from the 479 in 2013. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Miguel Hernandez, 50, holds a Bible inside the tent where he lives, near the Arroyo Seco. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Roy Carter, 57, leans on a shopping cart that he stores his belongings in. New development has crowded downtown L.A.’s population, forcing some of them to migrate beyond skid row. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)