The pandemic recession could cause an enormous spike in homelessness, L.A. County is projected to see an 86% increase in chronic homelessness by 2023; The pandemic recession will cause roughly twice as much homelessness over the next four years in the United States as did the Great Recession. That’s the grim prediction offered up by a Los Angeles-based research organization, which released a study today that forecasts rates of homelessness based on the country’s experience with its last major economic shock.