
Los Angeles, the City of Angels, is now known by a more sombre sobriquet - the homeless capital of America.

Living in the shadow of the world famous Hollywood sign, some 44,000 people survive without a proper home, many sleeping in cars, tents or in makeshift shacks.

According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, the down-and-out population has increased by as much as 20 per cent. Authorities have declared a state of emergency and are seeking $100million to deal with the crisis.

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Gabriel, who is homeless bathes in the Los Angeles river which flows from the San Fernando Valley to Long Beach over a 48 mile distance

Along the banks of the river, which regularly appears as a backdrop in Hollywood movies, homeless people try to eke an existence

An estimated 48,000 people are living rough in the Los Angeles area, earning it the unwelcome title 'The Homeless Capital of America'

Many of the homeless live along the banks of the Los Angeles River, which flows from the San Fernando Valley to Long Beach, over a distance of almost 48 miles.

A major cluster of homeless live in Downtown LA, hiding under bridges or sleeping along railway lines.

An estimated 800 people live in LA's riverbeds and storm drains, who are at risk when the river floods.

The concrete-lined river is often used as a set for Hollywood blockbusters.

Earlier this year, the City announced a 10-year plan adopted by with the ambitious goal of ending LA's growing homelessness, includes hiring social workers, offering quality housing and building permanent housing.

In addition, Los Angeles County supervisors also agreed to release $100 million over several years ($42 million in the first 12 months) toward housing the homeless.

Homelessness is 'the most serious humanitarian crisis confronting our county today,' said county CEO Sachi Hamai.

Plans for funding the initiatives still must be adopted, with the city of Los Angeles scheduled to vote on its budget in April.

Some people have created wooden shacks, left, underneath freeway bridges on the access roads linking the city to its suburbs

Those left behind by society try to survive by gathering pieces of scrap and old pallets so they don't have to sleep on the floor

For some, this vintage Chevrolet Impala would be seen as a restoration project, but in Los Angeles, it is more than likely called home

It is estimated that 800 people a night are sleeping every night in the bed of the Los Angeles river or the storm drains which feed it

Roul, with his dogs Domenico and Frosty, as well as three children, lives in a camper along the Los Angeles River

City Councilman Jose Huizar, who co-chairs the Homelessness and Poverty Committee, acknowledged that a series of past plans to reduce homelessness had failed.

Between 2013 and 2015, the number of homeless in Los Angeles County soared by 12.4 per cent, with the percent of those living in the street or in their car -- without access to emergency shelter -- soaring by 85 per cent.

Of the 44,000 homeless people living in the county, some 29,000 or two-thirds, sleep in the streets, tents or their cars, according to a spokesman for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

The 2008-2009 economic crisis took a hefty toll on Californians, while housing inflation has drastically limited affordable options.

In addition, many homeless opt to live in Los Angeles due to its mild weather and social services, notably near Skid Row, where some 5,000 homeless live.

By comparison, the homeless population in New York, America's largest metropolis, is larger at 57,000 people, but 95 percent of them live in shelters or temporary housing funded by local authorities and the state.

Los Angeles County spends around $1 billion a year on medical, psychiatric and social welfare care for its homeless, not including police expenditures.

'A real bed is much less expensive than a jail bed or a hospital bed,' Phil Ansell, director of the county's Homeless Initiative, told the Los Angeles City Council.

This man is one of several people who has made his home underneath the rail tracks at Washington Street and the L.A. River

According to some estimates, the number of homeless people living in Los Angeles has increased by up to 20 per cent

The shopping carts, pictured, are often used by homeless people to carry all their belongings with them as they attempt to find food

The Los Angeles celebrity lifestyle is not accessible to those forced to live under bridges and on the city's sprawling waste grounds

On Mission Street, this campervan is parked for the night with its small caravan in tow, far less salubrious than an A-lister's film trailer

Authorities fear that freak El Nino storms could wash away many of the homeless living on the river bed and in storm drains

LA authorities have declared an emergency with $100 million in funding allocated to dealing with the city's homelessness crisis

This International Transtar 4300 is no longer used to carry cargo across the United States and instead is now a temporary shelter

Leshawn holds her cat outside her home in a defunct tunnel along the L.A river but was burned out by kids shortly afterwards

Cecilia, left, and Irma, right have breakfast outside her trailer along the side of the LA River, living in a state of absolute poverty

Tucked away in a concrete sanctum under the 1st Street Bridge along the Los Angeles River, Seraphino, pictured, transcribes passages in spanish and english from the bible onto paper, boards, doors and walls. He doesn't, however, speak or read English

Seraphino, pictured, spends his days copying out words from the bible onto any available surfaces such as scraps of wood

Anthony, pictured, rubs lotion on his feet before getting up to walk into Skid row, hoping to find a meal and a day's work

Cecilia sits outside her trailer under the 1st Street bridge, at a table of provisions, along the L.A. River

Commuters and Hollywood stars often speed along the freeway, completely oblivious to the miserable lives being lived by the homeless

Ignacio, pictured, loads everything he needs for a day's foraging in the city looking to make enough money to buy food

Los Angeles city officials have adopted an ambitious 10-year plan to eliminate homelessness in the city