For the first time in years, the number of homeless individuals in Los Angeles County has not increased, according to officials. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) announced on Friday that 75,312 people were counted as unhoused in the county this year, a slight 0.27% decrease from 2023.
This data suggests meaningful progress in local efforts to address homelessness, following consistent annual increases since 2018. The count includes those living outdoors and in shelters and was conducted over three days in January 2024. However, LAHSA's figures have previously been considered underestimates.
LAHSA reported a 5.1% decrease in "unsheltered" individuals living in tents, cars, RVs, and makeshift shelters, totaling 52,365 people or 69.5% of the homeless population. Conversely, there was a 12.7% increase in "sheltered" individuals living in indoor programs, indicating more people are moving out of encampments.
Despite this progress, Los Angeles still has a significantly higher rate of unsheltered homelessness compared to other major US cities. For instance, New York City, which has one of the largest homeless populations in the nation, predominantly houses its homeless indoors within the city’s shelter system.
Los Angeles County, the most populous in the US, includes numerous cities. The city of Los Angeles itself saw a 2.2% decrease in its unhoused population, from 46,260 people in 2023 to 45,252 this year.
"After years of rising numbers, we finally see a change," LA City Mayor Karen Bass stated at a briefing. "The trend has reversed. We now know we can and will bring people inside and move LA in a different direction."
Black Angelenos remain disproportionately affected by homelessness, comprising 31% of the homeless population compared to 9% of the general LA population. LAHSA also reported nearly 1,300 unhoused youth on the streets this year.
The multifaceted reasons for homelessness in Los Angeles include skyrocketing home prices and rents, increased evictions following the end of pandemic-era protections, insufficient shelter beds, and many people returning to the streets after temporary shelter stays.
Of those newly homeless, 54% cited "economic hardship," 38% mentioned a "weakened social network," 17% reported a "disabling health condition," and 14% cited "system discharge," such as leaving prison.
This data release follows LA County's declaration of homelessness as a state of emergency in January 2023. The board of supervisors allocated a $609.7 million budget for its homeless initiative for fiscal year 2023-2024, aimed at reducing encampments, increasing shelter and housing placements, and expanding mental health and addiction services.
In 2023, over 27,300 unhoused people obtained permanent housing, a record-high number according to Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum, CEO of LAHSA. She emphasized that the county could "end homelessness" within several years if officials could also prevent people from losing housing. However, the number of people falling into homelessness continues to outpace those moving off the streets; for every 100 people who exited homelessness in 2023, at least 120 newly became homeless.
"The Los Angeles region must reverse decades of under-building affordable housing, help more people achieve economic stability, and address the shrinking social safety net," said Adams Kellum.
The data release coincided with a controversial US Supreme Court ruling allowing fines and jailing of unhoused people sleeping outside, which LA officials condemned.
"We do not agree with criminalizing homelessness," said Adams Kellum. "This year's homeless count strongly supports our best practices … We believe in housing and services, not arrest."
Mayor Bass added: "This is a rehash of the 1990s when we couldn't figure out how to deal with social problems like addiction and gang violence, and we just decided to lock everybody up."
Despite the city's own anti-camping ordinance allowing targeted sweeps of outdoor sleepers, a recent report found that only two unhoused individuals engaged under the law received permanent housing. The majority of cleared sites were later repopulated with encampments.
City and county officials noted an overall decline in encampments across the region, but with over 50,000 people still living outside, the crisis remains highly visible. Homelessness continues to be a humanitarian emergency in LA, with more than six unhoused individuals dying daily from overdoses, heart disease, and traffic accidents.
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