Poverty, hardship laid bare amid surge in homelessness

Homelessness is not a new issue to America's West Coast. But it's getting worse - much worse.

On any given night, more than 105,000 people are sleeping unsheltered in some of the country's biggest and trendiest metropolises, driven there by soaring housing costs, rental vacancy rates that rival those in Manhattan and a booming tech economy that's leaving thousands behind. Another 63,000 are sleeping in shelters or transitional housing with no safety net. The rising numbers have pushed abject poverty into the open like never before.

San Diego now scrubs its sidewalks with bleach to counter a deadly hepatitis A outbreak that has spread to other cities and forced California to declare a state of emergency. In Anaheim, home to Disneyland, 400 people sleep along a bike path in the shadow of Angel Stadium. Organizers in Portland, Oregon, lit incense at a recent outdoor food festival to mask the stench of urine in a parking lot where vendors set up shop. All along the coast, elected officials are scrambling for solutions.

"It's a sea of humanity crashing against services, and services at this point are overwhelmed, literally overwhelmed," said Jeremy Lemoine, who works for a Seattle nonprofit that provides various forms of assistance to the homeless. "It's catastrophic."

The AP dispatched a team of photographers to chronicle scenes of homelessness on the West Coast.

Here's what they found:

A homeless man sleeps curled up on the steps of a police station in Los Angeles' Skid Row area, home to the nation's largest concentration of homeless people, on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. According to the annual count released in May by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, Los Angeles County's homeless population has increased to 57,794, a 23 percent jump from last year's count. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Delmi Ruiz, foreground, sits inside an RV where her family lives and sleeps, as her daughter, Delmi, 4, lies in a bed, on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017, in Mountain View, Calif. The Ruiz Hernandez family was left homeless after the landlord in the apartment they rented hiked their rent beyond what they could afford. A homeless crisis of unprecedented proportions is rocking the West Coast, and its victims are being left behind by the very things that mark the region's success: soaring housing costs, rock-bottom vacancy rates and a roaring economy that waits for no one. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

A homeless woman, who declined to give her name, eats chicken soup with a piece of bread while others wait in line for food Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017, in downtown Los Angeles. According to the annual count released in May by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, Los Angeles County's homeless population has increased to 57,794, a 23 percent jump from last year's count. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Crouching against the wall near a heart-shaped cutout, a mentally-disabled homeless man mumbles to himself on a sidewalk stained with urine Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, in downtown Los Angeles. The latest nationwide homeless count shows that 4 of every 10 people living on the street are severely mentally ill or have a serious drug addiction. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Cheyvonne Price, who says she is homeless primarily due to heroin addiction, naps on a sidewalk outside a Starbucks in downtown Portland, Ore., on Sept. 20, 2017, after spending a night outside on the streets trying to keep dry in the rain. Price said she hoped to get enough money during the day to afford a bed at a hostel for the night and said that she wishes people would realize that the homeless "are not all bad people." (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

D. J. Meek, a 40-year-old homeless drug addict with collapsed veins, injects heroin into his body shortly after smoking crystal meth in downtown Los Angeles' Skid Row area, home to the nation's largest concentration of homeless people, on Friday, Sept. 8, 2017. The latest nationwide homeless count shows that 4 of every 10 people living on the street are severely mentally ill or have a serious drug addiction. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Ellen James-Penney, a lecturer at San Jose State University, prepares a lesson for the class she teaches, inside a station wagon where she sleeps at Grace Baptist Church on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, in San Jose, Calif. Unable to afford rent in the Silicon Valley on her adjunct professor wages, James-Penney, her husband and two dogs, are forced to live in their car. A homeless crisis of unprecedented proportions is rocking the West Coast, and its victims are being left behind by the very things that mark the region's success: soaring housing costs, rock-bottom vacancy rates and a roaring economy that waits for no one. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

James Williams, 50, who has been on the street for 20 years, sits in a wheelchair in the tunnel where he spends the night Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in downtown Los Angeles. Williams was dropped off by a taxi near the tunnel the night before, after being hospitalized for more than a week due to respiratory problems. He wanted to avoid a shelter because he said it would be too crowded. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Two homeless people, Tammy Stephen, 54, left, and Bennie Koffa, 66, walk past each other at Camp Second Chance, a city-sanctioned homeless encampment, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Seattle. Against the backdrop of its booming economy, the West Coast is experiencing another type of boom_a massive surge in homeless people living on the streets that in many places is beginning to overwhelm the ability of local governments to deal with it. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Sitting in front of a tent pitched on a sidewalk, Daniel Shawn, a 48-year-old homeless man, is silhouetted against the street lights Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, in downtown Los Angeles. Since last fall, Los Angeles city and county voters approved spending $4.7 billion in an attempt to tackle the problem, largely through adding low-cost housing. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A young homeless woman, in a drug-induced state, wobbles while sitting on a milk case with a teddy bear in Los Angeles' Skid Row area, home to the nation's largest concentration of homeless people, on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017. The latest nationwide homeless count shows that 4 of every 10 people living on the street are severely mentally ill or have a serious drug addiction. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Seattle native Robert Irwin, 72, who has been homeless for seven months, walks between rows of tents at Camp Second Chance, a city-sanctioned homeless encampment, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Seattle. Irwin said he is planning a trip to Michigan to see his older sister. "I have my own SUV, Chevy Trailblazer. I want to go in March. It will be my last trip." (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Covering herself with a blanket, homeless woman Christian McKenzie, a 29-year-old heroin addict and mother of a 7-year-old boy, settles down next to a wall in the Waterfront Park area in Seattle on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017. "I'm doing drugs still, but I'm not doing them as much. I've restrained myself all day not to," said McKenzie. "I miss my kitchen. I miss my kid." (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A man walks past a mural of angel wings titled "Africa Wings" by artist Colette Miller in Los Angeles' Skid Row area, home to the nation's largest concentration of homeless people, Friday, Sept. 1, 2017. According to the annual count released in May by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, Los Angeles County's homeless population has increased to 57,794, a 23 percent jump from last year's count. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat, Nathanael Baisley, 38, sits in a bus in Los Angeles en route to Santa Monica Beach, where he spends the night, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017. Baisley said he has been homeless on and off for three years and is going through a divorce with his wife who lives in England with their 5-year-old son. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A woman looks over trash from an encampment for homeless people along the San Diego River in San Diego on Sept. 22, 2017. California declared a statewide emergency due to a hepatitis A outbreak linked to homeless encampments. Comparisons are being made to conditions more commonly seen in Third World countries. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A piece of bread is left on a sidewalk as Korey Epps, a 44-year-old homeless man who had his leg amputated due to an infection while in jail, waits in line to enter Seattle's Union Gospel Mission to spend the night at the shelter Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, in Seattle. Serving 14 months in jail, Epps said he lost his job, family and home. "Everyday I feel more more worthless, hopeless. I can't believe this is where my life is," said Epps. "I may as well be on drugs because I lost everything." (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Two homeless people, Kerry Schmid, 59, and Teri Angus-Lydell, 64, foreground, sit in a small car where they sleep at night in the parking lot of a Walmart store Friday, Sept. 29, 2017, in Huntington Beach, Calif. Schmid has been living in his car since 2000, and Angus-Lydell joined him about a month ago seeking protection. The two are among more than a dozen homeless people sleeping in the parking lot, including Schmid's brother. "I'm thankful. This is like a palace to me," said Schmid. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A man gets a meal from Food not Bombs, an advocacy group helping homeless people, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, in Santa Cruz, Calif. On a street corner in Santa Cruz's main thoroughfare, the organization sets up a meal station on Saturdays and Sundays for the city's increasing homeless population, despite constant pressure from some residents in the downtown district. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

A man sleeps in a doorway in downtown Portland, Ore., on Sept. 19, 2017. On any given night, and often during the day, dozens of people sleep or camp on the sidewalks and parks of the downtown area, as the rising crisis of homelessness becomes more visible. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Carrying plastic bags stuffed with his belongings, a homeless man, who declined to give his name, pauses on a sidewalk Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017, in Los Angeles. According to the annual count released in May by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, Los Angeles County's homeless population has increased to 57,794, a 23 percent jump from last year's count. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Stella Tatola, a homeless woman staying in a women's shelter at the Sanctuary, cleans her bed while getting ready to start her day, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Charles, a 59-year-old homeless man who only gave his first name, wears a hat that says "God is good all the time" as he and other homeless people wait to enter Seattle's Union Gospel Mission to spend the night at the shelter Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A person sleeps under a blanket on a beach near the Ocean Beach Pier in San Diego on Sept. 28, 2017. A homeless crisis of unprecedented proportions is rocking the West Coast, leaving elected officials and outreach workers scrambling for solutions. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A large homeless encampment is formed on the "Plaza of the Flags" elevated park at the Santa Ana Civic Center complex Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017, in Santa Ana, Calif. California declared a statewide emergency due to a hepatitis A outbreak linked to homeless encampments. Comparisons are being made to conditions more commonly seen in Third World countries. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Tucked in a sleeping bag, Danny, a 60-year-old homeless man who only gave his first name, lies on an overpass above the 101 Freeway, one of the nation's busiest freeways, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017, in Los Angeles. Although he never feels safe sleeping on the street, Danny said the noise from the freeway doesn't bother him much. "You get used to it after a while." (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A group of homeless people sleep in the courtyard of the Midnight Mission Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017, in Los Angeles. The mission's courtyard is open to any homeless people looking for a safe place to spend the night. A homeless crisis of unprecedented proportions is rocking the West Coast, and its victims are being left behind by the very things that mark the region's success: soaring housing costs, rock-bottom vacancy rates and a roaring economy that waits for no one. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Lying on a urine-stained sidewalk, two homeless drug addicts, high on drugs, hallucinate in Los Angeles' Skid Row area, home to the nation's largest concentration of homeless people, Friday, Sept. 1, 2017. According to Midnight Mission's Joey Weinert, a former drug addict who now helps homeless people fight their addictions, said many homeless use drugs and alcohol to cope with their lives. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Sitting on a bed in a temporary shelter at Grace Baptist Church on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017, Bernadette Ortiz, a 39-year-old homeless woman, kisses her 9-day-old baby girl, Serenity, as her fiance and the baby's father, Ricardo Lopez, foreground, trims flowers they received as gifts after Ortiz gave a birth, in San Jose, Calif. The couple is moving into a studio apartment in a week, Ortiz's first home in five years. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Joseph Nalty, a 64-year-old homeless man who grew up in Iowa, dampens his hat to cool off in the Waterfront Park area of Seattle on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017. A homeless crisis of unprecedented proportions is rocking the West Coast, and its victims are being left behind by the very things that mark the region's success: soaring housing costs, rock-bottom vacancy rates and a roaring economy that waits for no one. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Delmi Ruiz, 41, who is five months pregnant, works in the kitchen area of her RV parked in front of an apartment building, where the monthly rent for a one-bedroom unit is more than $3000, Monday, Oct. 23, 2017, in Mountain View, Calif. Ruiz and her husband, who works as a landscaper earning minimum wage, have been living in the RV for more than two years with their four children after they could no longer afford the rent. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A mentally disabled woman stares at a camera as a homeless drug addict, who said his name was April Jane, sits on a sidewalk asking for money, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, in downtown Los Angeles. The latest nationwide homeless count shows that 4 of every 10 people living on the street are severely mentally ill or have a serious drug addiction. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A homeless man takes food from a trash can in Los Angeles' Skid Row area, home to the nation's largest concentration of homeless people, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, in Los Angeles. At least 10 cities have declared official states of emergency, and California declared a statewide emergency due to a hepatitis A outbreak linked to homeless encampments. Comparisons are being made to conditions more commonly seen in Third World countries. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Homeless people wait in line for a meal served by a community organization outside Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017, in Los Angeles. A homeless crisis of unprecedented proportions is rocking the West Coast, and its victims are being left behind by the very things that mark the region's success: soaring housing costs, rock-bottom vacancy rates and a roaring economy that waits for no one. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Officers from the Oranges County Sheriffs Dept. patrol a homeless encampment along the Santa Ana River Friday, Sept. 22, 2017, in Anaheim, Calif. Anaheim is the latest California city to declare a state of emergency because of a growing homeless crisis. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

A paramedic examines a drug addict lying on a side walk unconscious in Los Angeles' Skid Row area, home to the nation's largest concentration of homeless people, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The latest nationwide homeless count shows that 4 of every 10 people living on the street are severely mentally ill or have a serious drug addiction. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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Text from the AP news story, Crisis of homelessness gripping West Coast, explained.

Learn more about the West Coast homeless crisis here.