Los Angeles subsidised housing scoring system accused of racial bias

White people in the Los Angeles area received higher scores from a system that guides who receives priority for housing assistance, according to a n investigation. A nalysis by The Markup of 130,000 Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority 's (LAHSA) Vulnerability Index-Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (VI‑SPDAT) surveys found that White people, notably those under 25, received scores considered 'high acuity' - or most in need - more often than Black people, a gap which persisted year over year. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) had already planned to stop using the tool after a research team partnering with the agency found the tool had 'the potential to advantage certain racial groups over others.' In 2019, the LAHSA found that Black people tended to receive lower vulnerability scores despite their overrepresentation in Los Angeles’s unhoused population, something the LAHSA attributed to 'structural racism, discrimination, and implicit bias'. The findings called into question the accuracy and fairness of the system and similar systems. System 🤖 Vulnerability Index-Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (VI‑SPDAT) Operator: Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) Developer: County of Los Angeles Public Health Country: USA Sector: Govt - housing Purpose: Assess subsidised permanent housing elgibility Technology: Scoring algorithm Issue: Accuracy/reliability; Fairness; Privacy/surveillance; Representation; Transparency Timeline ⏰ 2010. The VI-SPDAT tool is created and begins to be adopted across the U.S. 2016. LAHSA begins using the tool as the core of its Coordinated Entry System (CES). 2018. An internal LAHSA committee first flags that Black residents are not exiting homelessness at the same rates as White residents. 2020. The creators of VI-SPDAT announce they will phase out the tool due to its limitations. 2023. The Markup publishes its investigation. 2024–2025. LAHSA begins transitioning to the "Los Angeles Housing Assessment Tool" (LA HAT) to replace the biased system. Investigations, assessments, audits 👁️ The Markup (2023). L.A.’s Scoring System for Subsidized Housing Gives Black and Latino People Experiencing Homelessness Lower Priority Scores The Markup (2023). How We Investigated L.A.’s Homelessness Scoring System The Markup (2023). Journalists: Investigate Homeless Vulnerability Scoring in Your City The Markup (2023). Los Angeles's Homelessness Scoring System investigation data

Date it happened

2023-02-01

Organisation involved

Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA)

Product, system or model

Vulnerability Index-Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (VI‑SPDAT)

This is a record of what was reported, not a finding that anyone broke the law. If it names your organisation and you believe it is wrong, the corrections process is free and open to everyone.