BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM
Los Angeles County’s homelessness crisis has long loomed large, but new data offers a rare glimmer of progress: for the second consecutive year, the number of unhoused residents has declined. According to a recent report from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), homelessness in the county dropped by four percent in 2025, with an estimated 72,308 people living on the streets or in temporary shelter.
The city of Los Angeles, home to a significant share of the county’s unhoused population, saw a 3.4 percent overall decrease, with the number of people living on the street falling by nearly eight percent. Meanwhile, the number of individuals in shelters rose by 4.7 percent, an increase largely attributed to Mayor Karen Bass’s Inside Safe initiative, which focuses on clearing encampments and moving people into temporary accommodations like hotels and motels.
“Are there still unhoused Angelenos? Yes,” Bass said at a press conference. “But all of these are steps forward.”
A shift in the trend
This latest report builds on modest gains in 2024, when homelessness dropped by 2.2 percent in the city and 0.3 percent countywide, marking a reversal after years of steady increases. While the challenges remain immense, LA’s slight but steady progress stands in contrast to national trends. In 2024, homelessness in the U.S. jumped by 18 percent, with families experiencing the sharpest rise, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
California’s own increase was three percent, driven by skyrocketing rents, a shortage of affordable housing, and lingering economic effects from the pandemic. But local and statewide efforts may finally be nudging the numbers in a different direction.
What’s working (and what isn’t)
LA’s voter-approved Proposition HHH, passed in 2016, has already delivered 8,376 units of supportive housing. In 2023, voters added another tool: Measure ULA, a tax on high-value property sales intended to fund housing and prevention efforts. But the results have been mixed. While the so-called “mansion tax” was projected to raise over $1 billion annually, it’s averaging just $288 million, according to researchers at UCLA. The tax also led to a 50 percent drop in real estate transactions over $5 million, slowing development and reducing city revenue.
At the state level, voters approved a $6.4 billion bond in 2024 to expand housing and treatment programs for mental illness and addiction. Governor Gavin Newsom also announced a reorganization plan to centralize housing efforts and improve oversight. Though controversial, his push to create a parallel court system for mandating treatment has also advanced.
Still, the scale of the problem remains daunting. Since Newsom took office, the state has invested more than $37 billion into housing and homelessness. Yet during that same period from January 2019 to January 2024, the homeless population grew by 24 percent, topping 187,000.
Behind the numbers: how the count works
The annual LA homeless count, conducted over three days in February, involves thousands of volunteers canvassing the county’s 4,000 square miles. They document visible signs of homelessness, such as tents, makeshift shelters, RVs, and survey people to collect demographic information. Though imperfect, the count provides crucial insight into evolving trends.
Looking ahead
While no one is declaring victory, the back-to-back declines suggest that targeted programs and significant investments are beginning to take root. The challenge now lies in refining those efforts for long-term impact, ensuring that success doesn’t come at the cost of sustainability or dignity.
As Mayor Bass put it, “Is reducing homelessness by having people in motels still very expensive, and do we need to look for more cost-effective ways? Yes. But these are steps forward.”
