Homeless Count Down, First Time in Six Years

Last week, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) announced the results of the 2024 Homeless Point-In-Time Count, which showed a decline in homelessness in the City of Los Angeles for the first time in six years and historic reductions in street homelessness. The 2024 count results saw a 17% increase in the number of people moved off the streets.

Key results from the 2024 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count:

• Homelessness in the City of Los Angeles is down for the first time in six years
• Unprecedented drop in street homelessness (10% decrease in the City of Los Angeles – the first double digit decrease in the last at least 9 years)
• A decrease in makeshift shelters (38% decrease in the City of Los Angeles).
• The number of people who moved into permanent housing is at an all time high.

The Mayor’s office shared the good news that seemed to validate her approach to solving the problem of homelessness when she declared a state of emergency on the homelessness crisis on her first day in office. Bass’s signature program “Inside Safe” has moved over 21,000 people from encampments on the street into housing.

“This progress is a testament to the newfound collaboration and partnership between the LA City Council, the Mayor’s Office, and the County Board of Supervisors,” said CD5 Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky in a message to constituents. “By rowing in the same direction, and doubling down on solutions that we know work, we’re making real strides in reducing street homelessness and supporting our most vulnerable neighbors. With reductions in the city’s overall homeless figures, it’s clear that our efforts are making a positive impact.”

“In District 13 and most of the city, instead of shuffling people around from block to block like the city did for years, we are finally leading with the housing and services that people need,” said CD13 Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez in a message to constituents.

Soto-Martinez credited Bass for her leadership and the Inside Safe program as well as CD4 Councilmember Nithya Raman, Chair of the city council’s Housing & Homelessness Committee. He also said better coordination with partners at the city, county, state, and federal levels has been another key element.

“It’s crazy this wasn’t happening before but it’s true!” said Soto-Martinez.

“Today’s news shows that the changes we’ve been fighting for are working,” Windsor Square resident Sarah Dusseault and Co-Chair LA County Blue Ribbon Commission on Homelessness. “Decreasing homelessness is an affirmation for those of us who work on the front lines of reform. These statistics are also much more than numbers – they represent brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers whose lives have been forever made better by the collective efforts of the Mayor and LA County. We have seen in this neighborhood two large encampment-to-home Mayor’s Inside Initiatives change the lives of neighbors both housed and unhoused. We must use this as a sign to do more.”

There are approximately 45,000 people living on the streets in LA so much more work needs to be done.

Local housing advocate Marylin Wells told the Buzz, “it feels good to see a decrease in homelessness for the first time in six years; I just hope that we can continue this progress.”

Wells is pleased that we have also seen an increase in people going into more permanent supportive housing which is why she is supporting Measure A. The measure calls for revamping Measure HHH which passed in 2106 and will include funds to build housing and well as provide services. More programs are needed that focus on prevention added Wells. Every day, 207 people are housed but 277 people are falling into homelessness each day. Most of those people are recently homeless due to the high cost of housing.

“In this year’s count, 68% of people living without shelter in L.A. County said they were experiencing homelessness for the first time,” reported LAist. “A majority of newly unsheltered people said they became homeless due to economic hardships (54%) rather than health problems (17%) or being discharged from an institutional system (14%).”

At the end of the day, experts agree that high housing costs are the primary drive of homelessness, according to LAist.