Hunger on the rise in Los Angeles

LA Food Bank - Los Angeles, CA
Originally uploaded by bbayless00

Working parents are increasingly forced to make tough choices between food, transportation, adequate housing and life essentials.  A recent article about the rise of hunger Los Angeles states:

Although in recent years the number of poor people across California and nationwide facing unreliable food sources has remained steady, the population going hungry in L.A. County has been on the rise, particularly among Latino families, the disabled or unemployed and those with children. Public health officials have largely attributed the jump to the number of low-wage workers living in a region with a high cost of living. Full text.

High cost of living is right.  I browsed LA Craigslist today and I found a LOFT apartment in downtown LA going for $1600/month. It's outrageous. Granted, downtown is in the process of a major gentrification, but what is the city doing to build affordable housing or encourage families to live there?  Not much.