The Los Angeles Homelessness Services Authority released statistics from the 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count on July 23 showing a 3.4% overall increase in homelessness in the city of Los Angeles and a 1.2% increase countywide.

However, the increases were primarily recorded in Downtown Los Angeles, South Los Angeles and certain areas of the San Fernando Valley, and the statistics show homelessness decreased significantly locally including in West Hollywood and Los Angeles City Council Districts 5 and 13. The city of Beverly Hills saw a slight increase in homelessness, where 30 unsheltered individuals were counted in 2026 compared to 17 in 2025. Homelessness decreased in West Hollywood, where 66 unsheltered individuals were counted compared to 79 the previous year.

The most significant decrease in local Los Angeles communities occurred in Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez’s 13th District, where the number of unsheltered homeless individuals declined by 104. LAHSA volunteers counted 396 people living on the streets in the 13th District compared to 500 in 2025. The number of sheltered individuals increased by 62 in the district this year, with 1,254 compared to 1,192 last year.

“The results of the 2026 Homeless Count are in and for the first time, Council District 13 recorded three consecutive years of declining homelessness,” Soto-Martinez said. “Unsheltered homelessness decreased by 21% year over year, and by 40% since we took office. The number of people in shelters and interim housing increased by 5%, meaning more people accepted housing and services instead of remaining on the street.”

In Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky’s 5th District, which includes the Miracle Mile, Melrose and Fairfax districts and Hancock Park, the number of unsheltered homeless individuals decreased by 38 from 322 to 284, while the number of sheltered individuals increased from 184 to 294.

“Unsheltered homelessness in CD 5 fell 12% over the past year and 22% since I took office. The number of tents fell 58%, and the total number of cars, vans, tents, RVs and makeshift shelters fell 16%. At the same time, the number of people counted in shelters increased 60%,” Yaroslavsky said. “Those numbers reflect the work my team and I have focused on since Day One: moving people off the street and indoors. Last year, we opened the district’s first interim housing site for general-population adults, along with a new youth site on Melrose. As a result, the count shows more people sleeping in shelter on a given night.”

The 2026 Homeless Count was held from Jan. 20-22 throughout Los Angeles County. The results showed there were 45,194 homeless individuals in the city of Los Angeles and 73,040 countywide.

LAHSA cited a pause in new enrollments and permanent housing placements driven by reductions in funding for short- to medium-term rental assistance and stabilization programs as a reason for the increases. Due to the cuts, the number of people moving from the street to interim housing decreased by 8%, and the number of people transitioning from interim into permanent housing decreased by 36%.

LAHSA said the rehousing decreases were further compounded by the severe economic situation. In Los Angeles County, a household must earn an annual income of $110,000 per year to afford the average rent of $2,745 per month, and the region lacks more than 473,000 affordable homes needed to meet current needs, according to LAHSA.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the increase was not a surprise given federal and state funding cuts for homeless services.

“For two years straight, we drove down homelessness by historic margins, but as expected, last year our efforts ultimately couldn’t keep up with policies and funding cuts at the federal and state levels that pushed more people onto the streets. The Trump Administration has driven up the cost of gas, groceries and rent – pushing more families to the edge – and slashed critical safety net funding. And, last year’s 50% cut in state HHAP funding from $1 billion to $500 million – resulting in a $70 million hit to L.A. city alone – severely impacted our work to keep people housed and get more Angelenos off the streets,” Bass said. “We raised philanthropic dollars to help supplement the cuts, and this year I fought alongside other mayors to reverse these cuts, restoring it to $900 million. The lack of adequate services provided by L.A. County continues to be a real problem and a contributing factor to people cycling in and out of homelessness. Despite these headwinds, we have reduced homelessness in Los Angeles by 11% since 2023, placing tens of thousands of Angelenos in interim housing, moving 6,000 people off the streets through Inside Safe and housing more than 1,000 homeless veterans.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, 3rd District, said the county will continue moving forward efforts to reduce homelessness.

“The Point-in-Time Count is one data point – not the whole picture. Housing production, affordability and supportive services are the biggest drivers of lasting change, and getting people housed permanently is the change L.A. needs,” Horvath said. “That’s why I’ve been focused on fundamentally changing how the county responds to homelessness through our new Department of Homeless Services and Housing as well as the Emergency Centralized Response Center. We need to be honest about what’s working, stop funding what isn’t, strengthen prevention so fewer people become homeless in the first place and hold ourselves accountable for every taxpayer dollar we spend.”