Sewer Living Adds New Twist to LA's Homeless Crisis

Disturbing reports of people living in the city's sewer system spark outrage and calls for action.

Apr. 2, 2026 at 4:11am

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A recent incident in South Los Angeles, where a woman was found living in a sewer manhole, has shone a light on the disturbing reality of people seeking shelter in the city's sprawling sewer system. This new twist to LA's longstanding homelessness crisis has sparked widespread outrage and prompted urgent calls for comprehensive solutions from city officials, including Mayor Karen Bass.

Why it matters

The discovery of people living in LA's sewer system underscores the depth and complexity of the city's homelessness crisis, which has persisted for decades despite repeated efforts and funding to address it. This shocking situation highlights the extreme desperation faced by some of the city's most vulnerable residents, and the need for a multi-faceted approach to provide not just housing, but also the full range of social and human services required to truly tackle this systemic problem.

The details

After a flood of media attention on the sewer-dwelling woman, city sanitation crews quickly sealed the manhole with concrete. However, this was only a temporary fix, as the issue of people living in LA's 6,500 miles of sewer passages is not an isolated incident. Similar situations have been documented in other major cities, with 'mole people' or 'tunnel people' carving out makeshift homes in abandoned subways, railroad, flood, and heating shafts. While some of these individuals may struggle with addiction or mental health issues, the root causes are often poverty and lack of affordable housing options.

  • A day after the incident in South LA, city sanitation crews sealed the sewer manhole.
  • A year ago, investigators in Las Vegas reported that more than 1,000 homeless people were living in tunnels under the city streets.

The players

Mayor Karen Bass

The current mayor of Los Angeles who has made tackling the city's homelessness crisis a top priority, proposing solutions and increased funding to get more people off the streets.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson

A contributing columnist who wrote the original article and has been covering the homelessness issue in Los Angeles for many years.

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What they’re saying

“It's about more than providing housing to deal with their issues. It entails meeting the full range of social and human service problems. It's also a global problem linked directly to poverty, race, gender, and social disconnect and dispossession.”

— Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Contributing Columnist

“Mayor Karen Bass has spent much of her time in office proposing solutions, big funding increases and implementing some initial action efforts to get more people off the streets. But even before Bass took office, city officials spent tens of millions of taxpayer dollars, tossed up a few encampments and makeshift housing here and there, and repeatedly demanded taxpayers cough up millions on the pledge that these dollars would be used to end homelessness.”

— Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Contributing Columnist

What’s next

Mayor Bass and city officials will need to continue pursuing a comprehensive, long-term strategy to address the root causes of homelessness in Los Angeles, including investing in affordable housing, mental health and addiction services, job training, and other social support programs.

The takeaway

The disturbing discovery of people living in LA's sewer system is a stark reminder that the city's homelessness crisis is a complex, multifaceted issue that requires a holistic, sustained approach to truly make a lasting impact. Simply providing temporary housing or sealing off access to unsafe living conditions is not enough - addressing poverty, lack of affordable housing, and the full range of social and human service needs is crucial to breaking the cycle of homelessness in Los Angeles.