The number of homeless in Los Angeles County is soaring compared to last year, according to data released Wednesday.

But why? Why is it that there are 23 percent more people — including veterans, women and children — on the street this year on any given night?

Officials offered some insight as they released troubling numbers.

Here’s why, according to Peter Lynn, executive director of the Los Angeles County Homeless Authority, which conducted the homeless count earlier this year:

• Some are leaving a violent situation at home

• Some are left on their own because of the death of a loved one – a spouse or a parent, who they’d relied upon

• Some can’t pay their rent, so without options they take to the street

Leaders acknowledged the surging numbers are not a surprise – as residents watch the rise every day on a simple drive to work, where in certain areas encampments have grown.

“The results of LAHSA’s Homeless Count are not a surprise to Angelenos, who have seen the number of unsheltered people in their neighborhoods grow before their eyes,” said L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti in a statement after the new numbers were released.

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After learning the reasons why, what can be done?

Garcetti thinks he has at least part of the answer — housing. But there’s much more beyond that, he added.

“The City of Los Angeles is making progress in our efforts — housing more than 9,000 people in 2016 alone,” he said. “But the extraordinary number of people falling into homelessness shows that we still face a historic shortage of affordable housing, a staggering mental health crisis, insufficient support for veterans and foster youth, and inadequate resources to help formerly incarcerated Angelenos turn their lives around.

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