>> Sreenivasan: ON THIS EDITION FOR SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28: GRIEF AND PRAYERS IN PITTSBURGH AFTER THE DEADLY RAMPAGE AT A JEWISH SYNAGOGUE.

THE CATASTROPHIC HUMAN COST OF THE ONGOING WAR IN YEMEN.

AND IN OUR SIGNATURE SEGMENT: THIRD WORLD POVERTY IN A FIRST WORLD COUNTRY.

NEXT ON PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND.

FROM THE TISCH WNET STUDIOS AT LINCOLN CENTER IN NEW YORK, HARI SREENIVASAN.

>> Sreenivasan: GOOD EVENING AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

ON THE DAY AFTER THE DEADLIEST ATTACK ON THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN U.S. HISTORY, SOMBER OFFICIALS FORMALLY CHARGED THE MAN WHO MURDERED 11 PEOPLE AND INJURED SIX OTHERS AT THE TREE OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE IN PITTSBURGH.

46-YEAR-OLD ROBERT BOWERS FACES 29 FEDERAL AND DOZENS OF STATE CHARGES FOR HOMICIDE AND AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, INCLUDING MURDERING VICTIMS FOR EXERCISING THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS-- A HATE CRIME.

HE COULD FACE THE DEATH PENALTY.

>> THE FACT THAT THIS ATTACK TOOK PLACE DURING A WORSHIP SERVICE MAKES IT EVEN MORE HEINOUS.

A PLACE OF WORSHIP IS A SACRED PLACE.

>> WE WILL BE HERE TO HELP YOU THROUGH THIS HORRIFIC EPISODE.

WE'LL GET THROUGH THIS DARKEST DAY OF PITTSBURGH'S HISTORY BY WORKING TOGETHER.

>> Sreenivasan: AT THE TREE OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE, COMMUNITY MEMBERS CONTINUED TO STOP AT A GROWING MEMORIAL THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

THE 11 PEOPLE WHO DIED IN THE MASS SHOOTING RANGED IN AGE FROM 54 TO 97.

JOYCE FIENBERG WAS 75.

SHE RETIRED AFTER A LONG CAREER AS A RESEARCHER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH.

RICHARD GOTTFRIED, 65, HAD JUST CELEBRATED HIS 38th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY.

97-YEAR-OLD ROSE MALLINGER WAS A DEVOTED MEMBER OF THE CONGREGATION.

JERRY RABINOWITZ, 66, WAS A FAMILY PHYSICIAN.

CECIL ROSENTHAL, 59, AND DAVID ROSENTHAL, 54 WERE BROTHERS WHO ATTENDED SERVICES EVERY SATURDAY.

BERNICE SIMON, 84 AND SYLVAN SIMON, 86 WERE HUSBAND AND WIFE.

71-YEAR-OLD DANIEL STEIN WAS A FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE NEW LIGHT CONGREGATION.

MELVIN WAX, 88, WAS A RETIRED ACCOUNTANT.

AND 69-YEAR-OLD IRVING YOUNGER TAUGHT CLASSES ON CURRENT EVENTS AT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY CENTER AND HAD TWO GRANDCHILDREN.

NEWSHOUR WEEKEND'S IVETTE FELICIANO TRAVELED TO PITTSBURGH LAST NIGHT AND HAS BEEN WITH SOME MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY.

>> Reporter: 17-YEAR-OLD EMILY PRESSMAN HELPED ORGANIZE YESTERDAY'S VIGIL LED BY LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

>> I DON'T THINK I'VE ACCEPTED THE FACT THAT THIS HAPPENED TO US.

>> Reporter: EMILY AND HER MOTHER STACY WERE GLUED TO THE TELEVISION THIS MORNING WHEN THE NAMES OF THE 11 PEOPLE KILLED AT THE TREE OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE WERE RELEASED.

EMILY AND HER SIBLINGS WENT TO HEBREW SCHOOL THERE, AND THE FAMILY OFTEN GOES TO THE TEMPLE FOR SOCIAL GATHERINGS LIKE WEDDINGS AND BAR AND BAT MITZVAHS.

>> I MEAN I COULD HAVE BEEN THERE.

I KNOW SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE PART OF THAT CONGREGATION THAT COULD HAVE BEEN THERE.

AND THE PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE JUST I MEAN THEY'RE THERE MY HEARTS ARE IN EVERYONE'S HEARTS RIGHT NOW.

>> Reporter: THE TREE OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE IS ONE OF SEVERAL IN THIS TIGHT-KNIT COMMUNITY THAT IS HOME TO A THIRD OF PITTSBURGH'S JEWISH POPULATION.

IT HOUSED THREE CONGREGATIONS AND WAS A CENTER OF ACTIVITY.

LIKE MOST PEOPLE WE'VE TALKED TO HERE, EMILY AND HER MOM WERE CONFIDENT THEY'D KNOW SOME OF THE VICTIMS, AND THEY WERE RIGHT.

>> I KNOW TWO OF THEM I KNOW THAT THEY WERE ALWAYS GREETED ME, THEY WERE VERY KIND SOULS THEY BROUGHT SMILES TO MY FACE.

THEY WERE VERY CLOSE TO MY FAMILY, ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS.

>> IT'S JUST STARTING TO SINK IN THIS MORNING.

I WOKE UP THIS MORNING TIRED WITH A PIT IN MY STOMACH FOR A SECOND NOT REALLY KNOWING WHY.

AND THEN I REMEMBERED WHAT HAPPENED.

THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO WERE IN SYNAGOGUE ON A SATURDAY MORNING.

THESE WERE THE DIEHARDS WHO WERE THERE BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO CELEBRATE THEIR FAITH.

THEY WERE WONDERFUL OLDER MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY.

>> Reporter: EMILY PRESSMAN SAID SHE AND OTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY FELT HELPLESS WATCHING THE NEWS YESTERDAY AND NEEDED TO TAKE ACTION.

>> I MEAN PEOPLE WERE MURDERED FOR THEIR FAITH.

IT'S NOT JUST SAYING SOMETHING ANYMORE IT'S NOT JUST A POINTING A PICTURE AND SAYING GO DIE JEW IT'S THEM HONESTLY SHOOTING A GUN IN PEOPLE'S FACES.

AND IT'S KILLING THEM.

I THINK PEOPLE ARE UPSET.

I THINK PEOPLE ARE ANGRY AND I THINK THERE'S A FINE LINE BETWEEN ANGRY AND HATE.

AND RIGHT NOW WE JUST HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE DON'T CROSS THAT LINE.

>> MY FAMILY WERE MEMBERS OF THE BEFORE IT MERGED WITH TREE OF LIFE CONGREGATION.

IT'S JUST REALLY A WARM, WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT AND PLACE, AND SO I'M ABSOLUTELY HEARTBROKEN.

>> Reporter: ADAM HERTZMAN IS THE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING FOR THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER PITTSBURGH.

HE SAYS THE ORGANIZATION HAS SEEN A RISE IN ANTI-SEMITIC VANDALISM OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS.

>> THERE WERE PAMPHLETS PUT ON CARS IN THE SQUIRREL HILL AREA WITH ANTI-SEMITIC RHETORIC ON THEM.

AND THERE IS, I THINK, SADLY IN THIS SOCIETY ALWAYS AN UNDERCURRENT OF RACISM AND ANTI- SEMITISM.

>> Reporter: EMILY PRESSMAN SAYS IF THIS COULD HAPPEN IN SQUIRREL HILL, IT COULD HAPPEN ANYWHERE.

>> IS THERE A TIME WHERE ANTI- SEMITISM HAS OCCURRED IN PITTSBURGH.

YES.

DO I THINK THAT HAPPENS EVERY YEAR.

YES.

DO I THINK THAT'S WHY IT HAS HAPPENED, NO.

WE'RE JUST AN UNLUCKY PLACE WHEN THERE ARE UNLUCKY PEOPLE IN A BUILDING.

AND THAT'S ALL THAT HAPPENED.

>> Sreenivasan: PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND'S IVETTE FELICIANO JOINS ME NOW FROM NEAR THE SYNAGOGUE IN PITTSBURGH.

IVETTE, YESTERDAY THE PRESIDENT MADE SOME COMMENTS ABOUT HOW THE PRESENCE OF AN ARMED GUARD AT THE SYNAGOGUE COULD HAVE HELPED TO PREVENT THIS MASSACRE OR TO SAVE LIVES.

WHAT ARE THE PEOPLE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD THAT YOU SPOKE TO, HOW DO THEY FEEL ABOUT THIS?

>> HARI, THOSE COMMENTS HAVE GOTTEN A MIXED REACTION FROM PEOPLE WE'VE SPOKEN TO HERE ON THE GROUND.

EMILY PRESSMAN AND HER MOM STACY WHO WE HAD BEEN SPEAKING WITH SAY THEY ARE VERY OPPOSED TO THAT IDEA, EMILY ALREADY ATTENDS A HIGH SCHOOL HERE WHERE SHE HAS TO WALK THROUGH A METAL DETECTOR EVERY DAY AND IT MAKES HER FEEL LIKE A MILITARIZED PLACE AND WOULDN'T WANT THAT AT HER LOCAL SYNAGOGUE WHERE SHE SAYS IT ALWAYS FELT LIKE A SAFE SPACE FOR HER AND A WELCOMING SPACE, AND SHE FEELS THE PRESENCE OF AN ARMED GUARD WOULD CHANGE THAT DYNAMIC.

AND GENERALLY, SHE EXPRESSED SOME FRUSTRATION AT THE NOTION THAT THE COMMUNITY THAT WAS TARGETED COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING MORE TO PREVENT THIS TRAGIC EVENT.

>> Sreenivasan: IVETTE, IN YOUR REPORT WE HEARD THERE HAD BEEN AN UP TICK IN ANTI-SEMITIC VANDALISM IN THE AREA, HOW IS THE COMMUNITY REACTING TO THAT?

>> THAT IS SOMETHING WE HEARD FROM THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER PITTSBURGH WHO SAID, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE SEEN AN UP TICK, HE DIDN'T WANT ME TO OVERSTATE THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS, BECAUSE IT GENERALLY HAS BEEN A SAFE AREA, BUT THEY HAVE SEEN THAT UP TICK AND WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN DOING IS WORKING WITH THE LOCAL SYNAGOGUES AND JEWISH SCHOOLS AND JEWISH AGENCIES TO DO ACTIVE SHOOTER TRAININGS IN THE AREA, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT HE BELIEVES WILL CONTINUE IN THE COMING WEEKS.

>> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT, WHAT IS NEXT FOR THIS COMMUNITY THIS WEEK?

WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE COMING UP IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS?

>> WHAT WE HEARD FROM PEOPLE THAT WE WERE SPEAKING WITH TODAY IS THAT WE NEED TO GIVE THE FAMILIES OF THE VICTIMS TIME TO MOURN, WE CAN EXPECT TO SEE A FEW MORE VIGILS THIS WEEK, AND IN ADDITION TO THE GRIEVING AND RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES COMING TOGETHER TO MOURN, WE HAVE ALSO SEEN A HEIGHTENED POLICE PRESENCE OUTSIDE OF RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS, SO WE CAN EXPECT TO SEE A LOT OF THAT IN THE COMING WEEK.

>> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT.

IVETTE FELICIANO JOINING US FROM PITTSBURGH TONIGHT, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Sreenivasan: READ MORE ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO WERE KILLED IN THE SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING ON OUR WEBSITE AT pbs.org/newshour.

>> Sreenivasan: FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS A SAUDI-LED COALITION HAS BOMBED AND BATTLED IRANIAN-BACKED HOUTHI REBELS WHO CONTROL YEMEN'S MAJOR CITIES.

YEMEN SHARES A BORDER WITH SAUDI ARABIA AND THE SAUDIS RECEIVE MILITARY EQUIPMENT, BOMBS, AND INTELLIGENCE FROM THE UNITED STATES AND UNITED KINGDOM.

THE WAR IS AT A STALEMATE BUT THE CONSEQUENCES ARE A CATASTROPHE FOR CIVILIANS.

THIS WEEK, "NEW YORK TIMES" PHOTOGRAPHER TYLER HICKS AND REPORTER DECLAN WALSH DOCUMENTED THE THREAT OF A MASSIVE FAMINE IN THEIR INTERACTIVE ESSAY, "THE TRAGEDY OF SAUDI ARABIA'S WAR," WHICH INCLUDED PHOTOS YOU MAY FIND DISTURBING.

DECLAN WALSH JOINS US NOW VIA SKYPE FROM CAIRO.

YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AN ECONOMIC, OR AN INCOME FAMINE, ONE THAT IS PREVENTABLE.

YOU USE ONE OF THE CHARACTERS, A MR. HAJAGGI IN HERE TO HELP TELL THE STORY.

TELL US.

>> WE MET MR. HAJAGI STANDING OVER THE BED OF HIS THREE-YEAR-OLD SON WHO WAS VERY SERIOUSLY ILL AND HIS FIRST SON HAD ACTUALLY DIED JUST THREE WEEKS EARLIER.

THE COLLAPSE OF THE ECONOMY REALLY PUSHED PEOPLE LIKE ALI HAJAGGI OVER THE EDGE.

>> Sreenivasan:, ENCAPSULATE WHY THIS WAR IS TAKING PLACE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

>> THE WAR STARTED ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO, WHEN THIS GROUP CALLED THE HOUTHI'S SEIZED CONTROL OF THE CAPITAL SANAA IN LATE 2014, THAT WAS A VERY ALARMING DEVELOPMENT FOR NEIGHBORING SAUDI ARABIA, WHICH VIEWED THE HOUTHIS EFFECTIVELY AS A PROXY FOR IRAN, AND FROM MARCH 2015 YOU HAD THE THEN DEFENSE MINISTER OF SAUDI ARABIA WHO SENT SAUDI WARPLANES TO START BOMBING HOUTHI TARGETS AND THAT WAS STARTING GUN FOR THE WAR.

>> Sreenivasan: WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THESE AIR STRIKES, THERE IS SUCH SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT MEANS THAT GOODS AND SERVICES CAN'T GO BACK ACROSS THAT ROAD, INCLUDING FOOD.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

SO ONE OF THE GREAT IMPACTS OF THE AIR STRIKE CAMPAIGN ACTUALLY THE GREATEST DESTRUCTION IS THE WAY IT IS DESTROYING THE ECONOMY OF YEMEN, MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF YEMENIS UNABLE TO BUY EVEN BASIC FOODSTUFFS FOR THEMSELVES.

>> Sreenivasan: YOU POINT OUT THAT THE YEMENI GOVERNMENT BANK IS IN ALMOST CONTROLLED BY THE SAUDIS.

>> YES, THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ACTIONS OF THE SAUDI LED COALITION OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THEY STOPPED PAYING THE SALARIES OF ABOUT 1 MILLION CIVIL SERVANTS.

THAT MEANS YOU HAVE POTENTIALLY 7 MILLION PEOPLE WHO ARE AFFECTED BY THAT DECISION, WHO LIVE IN FAMILIES WHO NO LONGER HAVE AN INCOME.

>> Sreenivasan: FINALLY I WANT TO ASK WHAT THE CONSIDERATIONS THAT THE TIMES TOOK.

THESE ARE EXTRAORDINARILY GRAPHIC IMAGES, THESE ARE NOT THINGS THAT YOU OFTEN SEE IN A NEWSPAPER.

>> THE TIMES TOOK THAT POSITION VERY CAREFULLY, THE PAPER FELT THAT IN THIS INSTANCE, THESE IMAGES ARE A REMINDER THAT FAMINE HAS NOT GONE AWAY AND THAT IN SOME INSTANCES LIKE NOW, FAMINE CAN BE NOT A PRODUCT OF NATURAL CAUSES, NOT AN ACTUAL DISASTER, IT'S A MAN MADE CATASTROPHE.

>> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT, DECLAN WALSH OF "THE NEW YORK TIMES" JOINING US VIA SKYPE FROM CAIRO, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Sreenivasan: IN JULY WE BROUGHT YOU A STORY ABOUT POVERTY IN ALABAMA, WHICH WAS SPURRED BY A REPORT FROM THE UNITED NATIONS' SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON EXTREME POVERTY AND HUMAN RIGHTS, PHILIP ALSTON.

ALSTON TOURED AMERICA, SPOTLIGHTING THIRD-WORLD-STYLE POVERTY IN OUR FIRST-WORLD COUNTRY.

NEWSHOUR WEEKEND SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT SIMON OSTROVSKY CONTINUES FOLLOWING IN ALSTON'S FOOTSTEPS WITH A REPORT ON POVERTY IN LOS ANGELES.

SUPPORTED IN PART BY A GRANT FROM THE PULITZER CENTER ON CRISIS REPORTING, THIS REPORT IS PART OF OUR ONGOING SERIES ABOUT POVERTY AND OPPORTUNITY IN AMERICA-- "CHASING THE DREAM."

>> Reporter: LOS ANGELES.

THE HOME OF SOME OF THE MOST DESIRABLE ZIP CODES IN THE COUNTRY.

BUT RIGHT AT THE HEART OF THIS WEALTHY METROPOLIS EXIST CONDITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED BY THE CITY'S OWN NEWSPAPER, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES AS A "NATIONAL DISGRACE."

ONE EXPANSE OF 50 CITY BLOCKS IS AN AREA THAT HAS BECOME SYNONYMOUS WITH POVERTY, CRIME, AND HOMELESSNESS.

IT'S EXISTED FOR DECADES AND HAS DOGGED SUCCESSIVE MAYORAL ADMINISTRATIONS THAT'VE TRIED TO ERADICATE IT.

IT'S CALLED "SKID ROW" AND IS HOME TO AN ESTIMATED 2,000 MEMBERS OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY'S HOMELESS COMMUNITY.

>> L.A. HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST RENTS IN THE NATION.

AND THE REASON WHY COME TO SO MANY TENTS OUT HERE BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE IN A HOUSE.

>> Reporter: STEVE RICHARDSON, WHO GOES BY THE NAME "GENERAL DOGON," IS AN ACTIVIST AT THE L.A. COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK, WHICH ADVOCATES FOR THE CITY'S HOMELESS COMMUNITY.

>> THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU SEE SLEEPING ON THE STREETS ARE BLACK AND THESE ARE FOLKS THAT HAVE FELL TO THE POVERTY LEVEL.

IT MAKES ME REALLY MAD.

>> Reporter: LONG THE SUBJECT OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL CONCERN, SKID ROW RECENTLY GARNERED INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION WHEN IT BECAME THE FOCUS OF A REPORT WRITTEN BY THE UNITED NATIONS RAPPORTEUR ON EXTREME POVERTY.

PHILIP ALSTON WHOSE JOB MORE OFTEN INVOLVES ASSESSING CONDITIONS IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD.

>> THE HOMELESSNESS ON THE STREETS IN L.A. IS PRETTY STAGGERING IN TERMS OF MAGNITUDE, IN TERMS OF HOW LONG RUNNING IT IS.

THERE IS A CHRONIC SHORTAGE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

>> Reporter: NATIONALLY, HOMELESSNESS HAS BEEN MOSTLY ON THE DECLINE SINCE 2010, THOUGH IT TICKED UPWARD SLIGHTLY IN 2017, TO NEARLY 554,000 PEOPLE WITHOUT THEIR OWN ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS IN A SO-CALLED POINT-IN-TIME COUNT.

THE LOS ANGELES AREA MEANWHILE, HAS TRENDED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AS THE COST OF LIVING HERE SOARED OVER THE LAST DECADE FORCING THOUSANDS ONTO THE STREET IN WHAT HAS AMOUNTED TO A NEARLY 50% INCREASE IN HOMELESSNESS SINCE 2012 TO ALMOST 53,000 PEOPLE.

THE SHEER SIZE OF SKID ROW MAKES IT LOOK LIKE A REFUGEE CAMP.

BUT ACCORDING TO A 2017 REPORT BY SEVERAL HOMELESSNESS ADVOCACY GROUPS, THE AVAILABILITY OF TOILETS HERE IS WORSE THAN IN A U.N.-RUN SYRIAN REFUGEE CAMP.

>> IT SMELLS OF URINE EVERYWHERE.

SKID ROW HAD ABOUT 10 TOILETS, I THINK, FOR THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

SO IT'S A PRETTY BAD SETUP.

>> SO THIS IS UH, THEY CALL IT THE BIG GREEN MACHINE.

AND, UH, IT'S A BATHROOM.

>> Reporter: ACCORDING TO THE LA COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK, NEARLY 1,800 UNSHELTERED PEOPLE IN SKID ROW SHARE ACCESS TO JUST NINE TOILETS LIKE THIS ONE WHICH MEANS MANY AVOID THEM ALTOGETHER AND USE BUCKETS WHICH ARE THEN EMPTIED INTO THE STREETS AND TRASH CANS.

>> THAT WAS P.T.S.D., BUT I DIDN'T KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THAT.

>> Reporter: WILLY VAN SEALS IS A VIETNAM VET SUFFERING FROM HEROIN ADDICTION, ONE OF ALMOST 3900 HOMELESS VETERANS IN L.A. COUNTY.

>> I'LL SHOW YOU.

THE BUCKETS THAT WE USE, ARE TO URINATE, BOWEL MOVEMENT.

THERE'S NOWHERE AROUND HERE TO USE THE BATHROOM, AND THAT'S HARD ON A PERSON YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

SUPPOSE YOU WALK AROUND FIND SOMEWHERE TO TAKE A CRAP?

COME ON NOW.

>> Reporter: THE AUTHORITIES KNOW HYGIENE IS AN ISSUE HERE.

THE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT REPORTED THAT ITS TEAMS OBSERVED FECES AND URINE ON EIGHT OF TEN SIDEWALKS DURING A SURVEY BACK IN 2012.

STREET WASHES LIKE THIS ONE HAVE BEEN INSTITUTED TO HELP STOP THE SPREAD OF DISEASE.

>> IF WE DON'T POWER WASH THE STREETS WE END UP WITH WHAT WE HAD YEARS AGO WHEN WE HAD A TUBERCULOSIS OUTBREAK OR HEPATITIS OUTBREAK OR SOME KIND OF DISEASE, IT HAS TO BE DONE, IT HAS TO BE DONE.

>> Reporter: OFFICER DEON JOSEPH HAS BEEN PATROLLING THE STREETS OF SKID ROW FOR CLOSE TO TWO DECADES.

HE SAYS HE'S SEEN WELL-MEANING POLICIES TO IMPROVE HEALTH CONDITIONS BACKFIRE.

>> YEARS AGO WE HAD 27 PORTA POTTIES IN SKID ROW.

MY CONCERN WAS THAT THEY WOULD BE TAKEN OVER BY THE CRIMINAL ELEMENT, AND DAY ONE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.

UH, WHEN THOSE BATHROOMS WERE HERE, GANGSTERS WERE CHARGING THE HOMELESS ONE TO FIVE DOLLARS TO USE THE PORTA POTTIES FOR WHAT THEY WERE DESIGNED FOR.

>> Reporter: WHILE WE'RE WITH HIM OFFICER JOSEPH RECEIVES A COMPLAINT.

>> I'VE GOT THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE PULLED UP IN FRONT OF THE DOORWAY.

I'VE ASKED THEM REPEATEDLY TO MOVE AND TRYING TO HAVE A RATIONAL CONVERSATION WITH IRRATIONAL PEOPLE.

I JUST DON'T WANT TO DO IT.

>> HOW ARE YOU?

I'M SORRY TO BOTHER YOU.

THERE'S A GENTLEMAN HERE WHO HAS A BUSINESS, AND THE LAW SAYS YOU CAN'T BE WITHIN 10 FEET OF HIS DOORWAY, CAN YOU GUYS MOVE ABOUT 10 FEET THIS WAY SO HE CAN HAVE HIS SPACE?

>> Reporter: HE RESOLVES THE SITUATION WITHOUT INCIDENT.

BUT THE U.N. REPORT POINTS TO DATA FROM THE "L.A. TIMES" SHOWING THAT 14,000 HOMELESS PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED IN L.A.

IN 2016, A 31% INCREASE SINCE 2011.

THE REPORT ENCOURAGED AUTHORITIES TO SHIFT FROM A "CRIMINAL JUSTICE RESPONSE" TO A "HUMAN RIGHTS-CENTERED RESPONSE" TO HOMELESSNESS.

>> HOMELESSNESS IS BEING CRIMINALIZED IN MANY WAYS.

AND IT'S AS THOUGH YOU SORT OF KEEP MOVING THE PIECES AROUND THE CHESSBOARD AND SUDDENLY IT'S GOING TO IMPROVE, INSTEAD OF SAYING "OK, WE ACTUALLY NEED TO WORK OUT HOW TO CREATE PLACES WHERE THESE PEOPLE CAN GO."

>> I AGREE WITH THE U.N., WE SHOULDN'T BE THE TIP OF THE SPEAR, FIX THE SYSTEM ESPECIALLY IN PLACES LIKE SKID ROW WHERE MANY INDIVIDUALS STRUGGLE WITH DUAL DIAGNOSIS WHERE THEY'RE ADDICTS AND MENTALLY ILL. WE DON'T WANT TO BE THE TIP OF THE SPEAR BUT WE HAVE TO BE UNTIL THOSE SOLUTIONS ARISE.

>> Reporter: ACCORDING TO VICTOR HINDERLITER OF THE LOS ANGELES HOMELESS SERVICES AUTHORITY, MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION ARE A HUGE FACTOR CONTRIBUTING TO HOMELESSNESS.

>> APPROXIMATELY 30% OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS SELF- REPORT THAT THEY HAVE A SEVERE MENTAL HEALTH DISORDER, ABOUT 30% OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS SELF-REPORT THAT THEY HAVE A SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER.

HOMELESSNESS, IN AND OF ITSELF IS A TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE.

>> Reporter: CHRISTINA MILLER, THE L.A. MAYOR'S SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER OF HOMELESS STRATEGIES AGREES THAT ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS IS A MULTI-TIERED PROCESS BUT DISAGREES THAT THE HOMELESS ARE BEING CRIMINALIZED.

>> INSTEAD OF LEADING WITH POLICE, LEADING WITH ENFORCEMENT, WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO LEAD WITH SERVICES BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT POLICE OFFICERS ARE NOT SOCIAL WORKERS AND THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY IN THEIR PURVIEW AND HAVING AN ENFORCEMENT HEAVY RESPONSE IS NOT ULTIMATELY GOING TO GET PEOPLE OFF THE STREETS.

>> Reporter: ACTIVISTS SAY THEY KNOW WHAT WILL GET PEOPLE OFF THE STREETS.

>> THE SOLUTION IS SIMPLE.

THIS IS WHAT THE SOLUTION IS.

THIS IS ONLY THING THAT ENDS HOMELESSNESS.

IT'S THIS RIGHT HERE, HOUSE KEYS.

UNTIL EVERYBODY GOT THEM, HEY YOU GOTTA BE GOOD NEIGHBORS BECAUSE THEY GOING TO BE PEOPLE SLEEPING ON THE STREETS.

>> THERE ARE A LOT OF SOLUTIONS THAT WE ARE FOCUSING ON CURRENTLY IN TERMS OF TRYING TO EXPAND OUR INTERIM SHELTERS BY CAPACITY.

BUT WE ALSO KNOW WHAT THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO HOMELESSNESS, WHICH IS PERMANENT HOUSING.

>> Reporter: MILLER TOLD NEWSHOUR WEEKEND THE CITY OF L.A. HAD EMBARKED ON AN UNPRECEDENTED DRIVE TO BUILD 10,000 UNITS OF HOUSING FOR THE CHRONICALLY HOMELESS: THOSE WHO'VE REPEATEDLY ENDED UP ON THE STREETS OR BEEN THERE FOR AT LEAST A YEAR.

IT'S FUNDED THROUGH A $1.2 BILLION CITY BOND OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS.

THAT'S IN ADDITION TO A $30 MILLION "BRIDGE-HOME" PROGRAM DIRECTED AT PROVIDING INTERIM HOUSING IN THE MEANTIME.

AND THE EFFORTS MAY HAVE STARTED TO PAY OFF.

THIS YEAR, THE HOMELESS COUNT IN L.A. COUNTY WENT DOWN FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2014.

ONLY MODESTLY, FROM 55,000 PEOPLE TO JUST UNDER 53,000, BUT IT BUCKS A SIX-YEAR-LONG TREND IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.

>> WE ARE CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC, WE ARE CELEBRATING THE FACT THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE A CHANGE IN THE DIRECTION OF THE TRAJECTORY AND IT DOES TELL US THAT WE ARE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT.

>> WELL THEY WERE CONSIDERATE ENOUGH TO GIVE US A PANTRY.

>> Reporter: JOSE SOTO, ANOTHER VETERAN, IS ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES WHO HAS RECENTLY BEEN HOUSED AFTER YEARS IN AND OUT OF PRISON AND SKID ROW.

>> I'M REALLY HAPPY WITH THE CLOSET SPACE.

BUT, WHAT DO YOU FILL IT WITH?

>> Reporter: SOTO, WHO IS IN RECOVERY FROM DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION GAVE US A TOUR OF THE RESIDENCE THE CITY HAS PROVIDED TO HIM FREE OF CHARGE.

>> I'VE BEEN ON AND OFF THE STREETS FOR WHAT YEAR IS IT?

WOW, 14 YEARS AND IN MY SITUATION, IT WAS ALL DUE TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE.

I JUST LIKE TO GET DRUNK A LOT EVERY DAY.

AND THEN, BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, THE LIFESTYLE CATCHES UP AND I END UP, I'M ONE OF THE PEOPLE ON SKID ROW OR UNDER A BRIDGE.

>> Reporter: UNTIL NEWER HOUSING COMES ONLINE HOMES LIKE THIS ARE IN VERY LIMITED SUPPLY.

ONLY VETERANS WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH A LENGTHY RECOVERY PROCESS FROM SUBSTANCE ABUSE QUALIFY FOR THIS BUILDING.

>> THEY TREAT US LIKE TRASH.

>> Reporter: FOR VET WILLY VAN SEALS WHO IS STILL STRUGGLING WITH ADDICTION, THAT SEEMS LIKE A DISTANT PROSPECT.

>> I WENT THROUGH REHAB.

AND WHEN I WENT THROUGH, THEY PROMISED ME WHEN I GOT THROUGH THAT THEY WOULD ACTUALLY GIVE ME MY VOUCHER AND I COULD GO AND FIND ME A PLACE TO STAY AND NONE OF THAT HAPPENED.

THIS IS WHERE I ENDED UP AT.

>> Reporter: SO DID YOU MANAGE TO KICK THE HABIT IN REHAB?

>> NAH.

>> AMERICA PAINTS OURSELVES AS A "GOOD SAMARITAN COUNTRY."

I'M GLAD THE U.N.

CAME HERE, BECAUSE YOU SEE THIRD WORLD CONDITIONS RIGHT HERE, YOU KNOW, IN THE RICHEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD THAT'S WORSE THAN OTHER COUNTRIES.

>> Reporter: THE UNITED NATIONS REPORT NOTWITHSTANDING, THERE ARE OTHER INDICATIONS THINGS MAY BE IMPROVING FOR THE HOMELESS IN L.A.

IN 2016, ANGELINOS VOTED OVERWHELMINGLY FOR A TAX INCREASE DIRECTED AT FUNDING THE CREATION OF HOMES FOR THE CHRONICALLY HOMELESS.

AND WHILE TENTS STILL LINE THE STREETS OF SKID ROW, THIS YEAR CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS HAS DROPPED 18% IN L.A. COUNTY.

>> WHEN IT RAINS, YOU MUST HAVE SOMETHING ON THIS FLOOR.

>> Reporter: BUT FOR WILLY VAN SEALS AND OTHERS LIKE HIM, LOS ANGELES STILL HAS A LONG WAY TO GO.

THIS IS PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND, SUNDAY.

>> Sreenivasan: VIJAY GUPTA IS A VIOLINIST FOR THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC; HE'S ALSO ONE OF THIS YEAR'S MACARTHUR FELLOWS, RECOGNIZED FOR BRINGING MUSICAL ENRICHMENT TO THE DISENFRANCHISED POPULATION IN LOS ANGELES WITH WHAT HE CALLS "STREET SYMPHONY."

>> STREET SYMPHONY IS A COMMUNITY OF MUSICIANS, MY COLLEAGUES FROM THE L.A. PHILHARMONIC, FROM THE L.A. MASTER CHORALE, PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS AND STUDENTS FROM ALL OVER LOS ANGELES, VARYING DIFFERENT GENRES OF MUSIC WHO PRESENT REGULAR AND MONTHLY ENGAGEMENTS IN SHELTERS AND CLINICS IN SKID ROW AS WELL AS ALL FIVE LOS ANGELES COUNTY JAILS, AND THE GOAL OF STREET SYMPHONY IS TO ENGAGE A HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE THROUGH ARTISTIC PERFORMANCE, DIALOGUE AND TEACHING ARTISTRY.

WE TOOK THE MESSIAH TO THE MIDNIGHT MISSION IN SKID ROW WHICH IS ONE OF OUR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS AND THE MESSIAH PROJECT IS A CHANCE FOR THE PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS OF STREET SYMPHONY TO SHARE OUR STAGE WITH THE SKID ROW COMMUNITY.

NOW WE WORK WITH ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS AND SINGERS AND COMPOSERS AND INSTRUMENTALISTS WHO LIVE IN SKID ROW.

AND THEY ARE OUR SOLOISTS.

AND THEY ARE OUR CURATORS AND THEY ARE THE ONES WHO TEACH US ABOUT THE POWER OF THEIR ARTISTIC VOICE IN THEIR COMMUNITY.

IN MY MIND, THE STAGE IS SACRED.

BUT I GUESS THE QUESTION I AM ASKING IS, WHY IS IT THAT THE CONCERT HALL IS THE ONLY SACRED STAGE?

WHAT ARE THE OTHER SACRED STAGES ACROSS OUR CITY AND WITHIN OUR HEARTS?

WHERE WE CAN ALSO MAKE MUSIC?

AND SO WHEN WE SHOW UP TO MAKE MUSIC IN SKID ROW, IT IS NOT ABOUT BEING THE PERFECT ARTISTIC PRODUCT, IT IS ABOUT BEING THE MOST PRESENT HUMAN BEING.

>> Sreenivasan: WE WILL HAVE MORE ON THE MASS KILLING IN PITTSBURGH TOMORROW AND WITH THE ELECTION JUST A WEEK AWAY, THE PBS NEWSHOUR WILL HIT THE ROAD FOR A SPECIAL EDITION FROM A KEY STATE: BATTLEGROUND FLORIDA.

THAT'S ALL FOR THIS EDITION OF PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND.

I'M HARI SREENIVASAN.

THANKS FOR WATCHING.

HAVE A GOOD NIGHT.