The number of people living on the streets has dropped by nearly 10% this year across the county

The number of homeless people in Los Angeles County fell 4% in 2025, a 10% decline in the number of people living on the streets, according to the annual count released Monday.

According to snapshots taken in February, the decline comes after billions of dollars spent on addressing homeless taxpayers in the county, and there is an increasing scrutiny on how money is spent.

Officials with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Administration said those who rejected said investment is working, especially in the population of reducing the number of homeless people who are not asylum-free — people who live in the streets instead of temporary housing.

Over the past two years, the city and county have become increasingly focused on cleaning camps and providing sheltered beds or rooms in hotels or motels.

“Reducing homelessness is now a trend in cities and counties in Los Angeles,” said Paul Rubenstein, deputy chief external relations officer at Lahsa. “Our leaders are coming together to bring people inside and their efforts are paying off.”

Mayor Karen Bass said the number in 2025 is the first time since its inception in 2005, and the number of homeless people has declined for two consecutive years.

“Homeless people have been shutting down for two consecutive years because we chose to act urgently and refuse to leave people on the street until the status quo of building housing breaks down,” she said. “These are not just data points – they represent thousands of humans now inside, and communities are starting to heal.”

Its strong trend depends on how you view it. The overall decline in homelessness in cities and counties decreased slightly last year, but the decline was too small to be statistically significant.

However, there is no doubt that homeless people have indeed dropped meaningfully in 2024.

This year, both categories have fallen beyond the error margin.

Overall, an estimated 72,308 people are living in shelters or on the county streets in February, a 4% decrease from the number in 2024. In the city of Los Angeles, homeless people fell by 3.4% to 43,699.

There is no doubt that the population has dropped significantly.

In February, an estimated 47,413 people live in the county’s streets and 26,972 people in the city, with an annual decline of 9.5% and 7.9% respectively.

The county’s uncovered population has dropped by 14% and 17.5% over the past two years.

Rubenstein said the numbers were largely due to the work of the camp addressing.

These include Beth’s “Inner Safety Program” and the county’s road home, both focusing on moving people out of the streets quickly and entering temporary (sometimes permanent) housing.

Los Angeles City Councilman Nithya Raman, chairing the Housing and Homelessness Committee, said she was “proud” to see the city’s homeless drones homeless.

“[When you’re unsheltered]You are the victim of attacks, crimes, sexual assaults. Women are very unsafe,” she said. “The all-inclusive homeless people are what people who live in the accommodation see. That’s why the city is challenging. ”

As more and more people move into shelter beds, hotels and motels, it is a temporary basis, with the number of people who are sheltered but without permanent residence increased.

According to Statistics, the county’s homeless population grew by 8.5% in 2025 and 4.7% in the city.

Historically, about 25% of the homeless population is sheltered, but the city’s figures rose to about 38%, up 34% in the county in February.

Lahsa of the homeless service system in the area said it is making progress in bringing people into permanent housing.

Last year, agency data showed that 1,146 people moved from temporary housing to permanent housing, an increase of 23.5% from 2023.

The annual homeless count is conducted from February 18 to 20.

Volunteers were scattered throughout the county and counted the number of people they slept in public. They also counted the number of tents, temporary shelters and vehicles that people might live in.

The University of Southern California researchers then used a separate population survey to estimate how many people live in each residence on average.

At least in some places, the figures released on Monday are not the only evidence of a decline in homelessness.

Rand researchers released a more intensive survey this month that found that homeless people in Hollywood and Venice fell last year but rose on Skid Row, causing a 15% rate when the three communities merged.

The two reports are crucial to the Los Angeles homeless service delivery system, which has been overseen by Lahsa for decades.

Last year, two reviews found Lahsa lacked adequate oversight of contract and program and was therefore vulnerable to waste and fraud.

Following these reports, the county board voted in April to move hundreds of millions of dollars out of Lahsa and to invest money into new agencies that will be launched next year.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the overall decline in homelessness in the county is “progress”, but the decline is not fast enough.

“At this speed, it takes three centuries to end the homeless in Los Angeles County. Every day, seven people are killed on our streets, which is an unacceptable reality that requires bold, coordinated action,” she said.

“That’s why Los Angeles County has set up a new dedicated department that is coordinated, responsible and designed to meet the urgency of this moment,” Hovas added. “It will streamline services, break through bureaucracy and bring fruit in all 88 cities and non-individual communities.”

In a speech to reporters last week, Lahsa said it has been working to improve efficiency over the past two years and has increased coordination with local officials, which has helped promote lower levels of homelessness.

However, Los Angeles City Councilman Bob Blumenfield said he adopted “any data that Lahsa has exposed in salt” and said that given the budgetary issues at all levels of government, we need to continue to explore creativity and build different types of housing because the ratio of funds spent is unsustainable. ”

Indeed, bringing people to the streets will soon become more difficult.

The Trump administration hopes to cut funds for federal rental subsidies called Section 8, while the state and county have already cut some funds for homeless services amid budget constraints, including funds used by Lahsa to move people out of shelters and apartments.

Rubenstein said in particular that the reduction would mean it would be difficult to “maintain this rate” even if people enter permanent housing and why it is so important to “commit to building new permanent housing locally” through entities such as the new Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Bureau.

Times journalist Doug Smith contributed to the report.