5 days ago
Homeless Man's Viral Three-Story Treehouse in Los Angeles Is Torn Down—but He Vows a Comeback
A homeless man's three-story treehouse crafted from scrap materials near downtown Los Angeles has been torn down by the city—but this setback has not deterred the enterprising architect.
The elevated makeshift home—with a bedroom, a loft, and a zip line—went viral last month, when a TikTok video captured the structure in all its ramshackle glory, drawing more than 340,000 views.
But the arboreal abode's moment in the spotlight proved short-lived: A week ago, city workers descended on the South L.A. neighborhood and dismantled the improvised living space, along with other shelters making up a nearby street-level homeless encampment.
The aftermath was captured on video by Instagram creator @StephanieSapphire69 and shared on her account.
The treehouse's builder and sole occupant, who identified himself only as Erick, said in an exclusive interview with the New York Post that the demolition came as no surprise.
"It was gonna happen eventually. I knew they were gonna take it," the 34-year-old told the outlet Monday.
The unhoused man currently lives in a scavenged shack at the foot of his beloved tree, surrounded by mounds of debris.
Undaunted, Erick is already in the process of putting together a new treehouse—his fourth in 10 years.
Erick said he plans several new features for his next above-ground home, including camouflage walls, a trampoline net, and a fire pole to enable quick getaways.
The self-taught builder explained that living in a tree protects him from thefts and assaults widespread among the unhoused population in the area.
He is also not interested in seeking refuge at one of Los Angeles' city shelters, which he dismissed as dangerous and dirty.
Erick emphasized that he intends to continue living on the streets, or more, accurately, above them, because it's his lifestyle choice.
"I'm not doing this to make it hard for [the city]," he said. "I'm going to be a burden no matter what. This just works for me. You gotta do whatever you do because it works for you."
Locals are split on Erick's living arrangements, with one resident telling the publication that the homeless man's presence in the neighborhood does not bother her, while a business owner accused the treehouse architect of stealing from him.
Erick denied being a thief, saying that he made a living by selling recyclables.
L.A. homelessness is turning a corner
Erick's story is emblematic of a persistent crisis that has long plagued Los Angeles and other major metros—although recently there have been signs of progress.
According to a recent count conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, there were an estimated 26,972 unsheltered people living on the streets within city limits in February, down nearly 8% from a year ago.
The combined populations of people living in shelters or on the streets in L.A. shrank year-over-year by 3.4%, to roughly 43,700.
Countywide, homelessness edged down 4% compared with 2024, marking the second consecutive decline in 20 years, when the count began.
Since 2023, unsheltered homelessness has dropped in Los Angeles by 17.5%.
"Homelessness has gone down two years in a row because we chose to act with urgency and reject the broken status quo of leaving people on the street until housing was built," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. "These results aren't just data points—they represent thousands of human beings who are now inside, and neighborhoods that are beginning to heal."
These downward trends come after the city and county invested billions of taxpayers dollars into clearing homeless encampments and offering unhoused individuals temporary and permanent housing.
In May, California Gov. Gavin Newsom urged cities and counties to crack down on tent cities as he pledged more than $3 billion in grants for facilities to treat unhoused people and others for mental illness and substance abuse.
"No more excuses," he said at the time. "It is time to take back the streets. It's time to take back the sidewalks. It's time to take these encampments and provide alternatives."
Los Angeles' homelessness problem is especially stark against the backdrop of some of the most high-priced housing in the U.S.
As of July, the median home list price in L.A. was $1.15 million, the second-highest in the U.S., trailing only San Jose, CA, according to the latest monthly housing trends report from
L.A.'s rental market is no better, with the median asking rent for an apartment in the city reaching roughly $2,700 a month in June, according to the most recent rental report from
At the same time, tens of thousands of people within L.A. city limits and in the surrounding county are living in tents, treehouses, or squalid shelters.
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