Shelter in Place: LA’s fight for housing in a pandemic

When COVID-19 started coursing through the US state of California and staying at home became the safest thing to do, some homeless people took bold action: They found empty houses and moved in.

In Los Angeles, a group called the Reclaimers have twice tried to take over vacant state-owned properties to use them for housing.

Others have refused to leave their homes after evictions, which continue to happen despite pandemic-era moratoriums.

As the pandemic threatens to exacerbate LA’s homelessness crisis, Fault Lines follows people taking matters into their own hands.