Skid Row’s toilet crisis: how a basic necessity became a political battle

The neighborhood is home to 4,400 unhoused people. Its restroom options fall short of the UN standard for refugee camps

This story was supported by the journalism non-profit the Economic Hardship Reporting Project

The sun is rising over Skid Row as a crane slowly lifts a shiny, two-unit toilet from the back of a truck and on to the sidewalk. The new bathroom – rectangular and off-white with a ventilated roof – is replacing another unit that has stood on this corner for over 15 years.