2023 Homeless Count shows a 9% rise in people experiencing homelessness in LA County

The number of people experiencing homeless has increased over the past year, according to an annual report from the Los Angeles Housing Services Authority that offers more insight into one of the region's most vexing problems.

The data show a 9% increase in the county and a 10% increase in the city from 2022.

“The homeless count results tell us what we already know — that we have a crisis on our streets, and it’s getting worse,” Chief Executive Officer of the LAHSA Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum said.

For three days and nights in late January, thousands of volunteers in teams of four fan out across the city to count people living in tents, vehicles and temporary shelters.

The count provides a point-in-time tally of people experiencing homelessness in LA County. This year 75,518 people were counted, compared to 69,144 in 2022. 

The data gathered from the count are used to determine the allocation of funds, measure the progress or setbacks in a community’s current programming, and provide the county with more information about the housing crisis. 

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Janice Hahn called the results “disappointing" in a statement.

“It is frustrating to have more people fall into homelessness even as we are investing hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars and resources into efforts to bring people inside. I appreciate the cities that have stepped up and supported solutions, but these numbers prove that solutions-oriented cities are too few and far between,” she said.

Hope in the numbers

Though there were apparent increases in the number of people experiencing homelessness, LAHSA data also show that some programming has helped aspects of the housing crisis.

There has been a decrease in the amount of time it takes for someone to move from being homeless to having interim housing, and young adults aged 18 to 24 who are homeless are being connected with interim housing more frequently. 

A recent statewide study of homelessness from UC San Francisco’s Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative has shed light on the root causes of the housing crisis, such as the high cost of living,  the lack of transition services while leaving institutions such as prison, a deficit in affordable housing and systemic racism.

The authors of the study hope that this information will better inform future policy decisions. 

Changes to this year’s count

The count is far from perfect, and some critics say that it may be a serious underrepresentation of the true problem.

This year, LAHSA improved its system of collecting data by using a new app for volunteers to track their data. The agency simplified its volunteer training and made it more accessible by offering it both online and in person.

LAHSA also took more accountability measures, and hired a demographer and data scientists to better analyze its findings. 

Point-in-Time Count

The count of people experiencing homelessness in LA County is the biggest homeless census count in the country. 

“The Count is an opportunity to reflect on the life-saving impact of our collective investments, the challenges we continue to tackle together, and the humanity of the homelessness crisis,” Interim Executive Director of LAHSA Stephen David Simon said in January. 

LAHSA does the count with guidance from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the help of thousands of volunteers.

“The data gathered in January represents the crisis our city faces. The challenge before us is vast but we will continue to work with urgency to bring Angelenos inside,” Mayor Keren Bass said. “We must sustain our momentum by locking arms with leaders at every level of government as we confront this crisis as the emergency that it is. Lives depend on it.”