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Los Angeles County has reported a notable decline in homelessness for the second consecutive year, according to a recent report from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). The 2025 data reveals a four percent drop in the number of unhoused residents, with approximately 72,308 individuals either living on the streets or in temporary shelters.
The city of Los Angeles, which accounts for a significant portion of the county’s homeless population, experienced a 3.4 percent overall decrease. Of particular note, the number of people living on the streets decreased by nearly eight percent, while those residing in shelters increased by 4.7 percent. This rise in shelter occupancy is largely attributed to the Inside Safe initiative, implemented by Mayor Karen Bass, which aims to clear encampments and provide temporary accommodations in hotels and motels.
This report follows a modest decline in homelessness in 2024, where the city saw a 2.2 percent drop and the county a slight 0.3 percent reduction. These shifts contrast sharply with national trends; homelessness in the United States surged by 18 percent in 2024, with families experiencing the most significant increases, as reported by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
California faced a three percent rise in homelessness, driven by high rents, a shortage of affordable housing, and ongoing economic repercussions from the pandemic. Nonetheless, local and statewide initiatives appear to be influencing a positive shift in the numbers.
Voter-approved measures such as Proposition HHH, passed in 2016, have facilitated the development of 8,376 supportive housing units. In 2023, voters also approved Measure ULA, a tax on high-value property sales aimed at funding housing and prevention efforts. However, the implementation of the “mansion tax” has yielded mixed results, raising an average of $288 million annually—far below the projected $1 billion—and contributing to a 50 percent drop in high-value real estate transactions.
At the state level, California voters approved a $6.4 billion bond in 2024 to enhance housing and treatment programs for mental health and addiction. Governor Gavin Newsom has also proposed a reorganization plan to centralize housing efforts and improve oversight, along with a controversial initiative to establish a parallel court system for mandating treatment for the unhoused.
Despite significant investments—exceeding $37 billion since Newsom took office—the homeless population in California has grown by 24 percent from January 2019 to January 2024, surpassing 187,000 individuals. The annual homeless count, conducted over three days in February, involves thousands of volunteers who survey the county’s 4,000 square miles to document visible signs of homelessness and collect demographic information.
While the recent declines in homelessness are encouraging, they underscore the need for continued refinement and enhancement of these programs to ensure sustainable solutions that respect the dignity of those affected.
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