For the second year in a row, the homeless count estimate has shown a decrease in homelessness across Los Angeles County, according to Va Lecia Adams Kellum, chief executive officer at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
LAHSA released its data on the homeless count estimate during a livestreamed press conference on Monday afternoon, with an estimated 4% decrease in Los Angeles County, which is approximately 72,308 people, Adams Kellum said.
The city of Los Angeles experienced a decrease as well with a 3.4% decrease, which is an estimate of 43,699 people, Adams Kellum added.
Adams Kellum read that unsheltered homelessness dropped by about 9.5%, while sheltered homelessness is up 8.5% across the county. And over the past two years, unsheltered homelessness across the county has decreased by approximately 14%.
“The city of Los Angeles experienced an estimated 7.9% drop in unsheltered homelessness, and the sheltered population rose by 4.7%. Over the last two years, unsheltered homelessness has fallen by an estimated 17.5% in the city of Los Angeles,” Adams Kellum said to the audience.
Wendy Greuel, chairwoman of the LAHSA Commission, spoke to the audience with a message about what this data means.
“These are not just numbers. They represent people, people who are neighbors, our friends, and our families, people who are looking … for us to help in a (humanitarian) crisis on our streets and to help end that crisis,” Greuel said.
She add that LAHSA had good news, or exciting news, in her words, that this year 100% of the homeless count was entered digitally and signed off by the people doing the counting – making the process much easier and faster to enter data.
“I believe this progress has been driven by three key components: sustained investments in housing and services, strong partnerships with our local cities and service providers, and a focused approach to encampment resolution – such as through the county’s Pathway Home program, which helps transition individuals directly from encampments into shelter and care,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a prepared statement.
Barger, whose district includes the Santa Clarita Valley, added that she remains committed to investing in solutions that are innovative and compassionate.
“I am also optimistic about the establishment of our new county department dedicated solely to homelessness. I believe this focused and coordinated approach will significantly strengthen our efforts and help reduce homelessness further in our communities,” Barger’s statement said.
During the news conference, Carletta Palmer, a community member who experienced homelessness, spoke out about her journey of overcoming it.
“A few years ago, my life changed after I was a victim of a violent crime. That’s how I ended up, you know, moving and relocating and ended up somehow from there in my car, which is how I ended up in this program,” Palmer said, getting emotional.
After getting help and getting herself back on her feet, she lives in her own place. She thanked L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, who was in attendance, and another representative of L.A. Family Housing.
Bass started her statement with a joke saying that she hardly comes to a press conference with good news and this was very good news, in her words, drawing laughs from the crowd attending in person at LAHSA’s Welcome Navigation Center in Downtown L.A.
“Obviously, we have a lot more to do, but the fact of the matter is everybody that is here today is committed to making sure that we do whatever is necessary until we end homelessness, period,” Bass said. “So, for the first time in our city’s recent history, homelessness has gone down two years in a row according to the annual point in time counts.”
She finished her statement by explaining that these numbers are all a step forward.
“Now, are there still unhoused Angelenos? Yes. Are there still encampments? Yes. Is reducing homelessness by having people in motels still very expensive and do we need to look for more cost-effective ways? Yes, but all of this is a step forward,” Bass said.
There is no time frame for the by-city raw data at the time of this publication, according to an email sent by Christpoher Yee with LAHSA.
To view the Service Planning Area data, visit tinyurl.com/bdb2jd75.
