By Nicole Chang
Contributing Writer
LOS ANGELES — It was just a few years ago that Aurora Morales was living on the street in downtown Los Angeles, struggling with homelessness and addiction. Today she helps run the very center where she herself received treatment.
Morales is part of efforts to stem addiction and overdose deaths in Los Angeles, which have declined, if unevenly, thanks to investments in prevention and treatment.
“What I needed at that time was love, support and someone who cared for me without judgement,” she said. “If someone had simply told me, ‘You need to change right now,’ I wouldn’t have listened. Change begins when a relationship is built first.”
That strategy — of meeting people where they are — is at the center of new approaches being adopted by Los Angeles County to address disparities in addiction rates and overdose deaths mainly in low-income communities of color.
Morales is associate director of community initiatives at the nonprofit Homeless Health Care Los Angeles, where she was once a client and where she now leads an overdose response team serving the city’s Skid Row and MacArthur Park areas.
“They treated me with respect and without stigma,” she said of her experience, “and that made a huge difference in my recovery.”
Morales spoke during a March 12 virtual press briefing hosted by American Community Media on the lingering disparities in drug overdose deaths in Los Angeles. Speakers also shared perspectives on strategies for prevention and harm reduction.
Los Angeles has among the highest unhoused populations in the country, second only to New York. Estimates vary but anywhere from a quarter to a third of this population report regular use of illicit drugs, including methamphetamine or fentanyl.
Data from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released in June 2025 show the city saw a 22% drop in overdose deaths, from 3,137 in 2024 to 2,438 last year, the lowest number recorded since 2019.
Fentanyl has been a major driver of accidental overdose deaths in recent years, surpassing methamphetamine in 2022 as the most common drug listed as a cause of death. In 2024, the proportion of accidental overdose deaths involving fentanyl declined to 52%, down from 64% in 2023, according to county data.
Dr. Brian Hurley is medical director of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. He welcomed recent gains by the city and county in lowering overdoses, adding, however, that Black residents continue to experience the highest overdose death rates. Latino residents account for the largest number of deaths overall because of their larger population.
Public health officials say expanded access to naloxone has played a major role in the decline. Naloxone is a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses, including those involving fentanyl, by restoring breathing.
Shoshanna Scholar, director of the Harm Reduction Division at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, said millions of doses of naloxone have been distributed in recent years. Since 2019, the medication has been used in approximately 50,000 overdose reversals across the county.
“Neighbors, families and friends are saving each other’s lives,” Scholar said. “In many ways, the community has become the first responder.”
Public health experts say harm reduction strategies and community-based partnerships are essential in addressing the crisis.
Harm reduction programs focus on keeping people alive and connected to services even if they are not ready to stop using drugs.
Kelvin Driscoll, director of the South Los Angeles nonprofit HOPICS (Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System), said outreach workers play a crucial role in reaching people who might otherwise remain disconnected from services.
HOPICS provides housing assistance, mental health care and substance-use treatment while conducting street outreach. Last year, about 8,000 people visited the group’s drop-in center, Driscoll said, adding staff distributed more than 48,000 doses of naloxone and recorded 599 overdose reversals.
On any given day or night Morales’ outreach teams can be found on the streets around Skid Row or MacArthur Park, where they distribute naloxone and train local residents on how to use it. That training allows community members to respond to overdoses even when outreach teams are not present.
Morales recounted a recent incident at a bus stop where a bystander revived an overdose victim using a naxolone kit her team had provided.
People on the streets battling addiction “can’t always ask for help,” said Morales. “If no one is watching, you might not even know someone is in danger.”
She added people misunderstand overdoses as intentional acts when in reality many occur accidentally.
“Most people who use drugs are not trying to die,” she said. “They’re exposed to risk in environments where help isn’t always available.”
She said addressing the crisis will require stronger partnerships among communities, health providers and public agencies.
“As a Latina woman, I see how many families and communities still need more conversation and information,” Morales said. “Sharing knowledge and understanding with each other is a critical step toward addressing the crisis we’re facing.”
Nicole Chang is a writer for American Community Media.
