Every year, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) conducts a Point-in-Time (PIT) count to provide a snapshot of the homeless population and demographic characteristics. The most recent PIT count happened in February 2022, and results were released on September 8.  The PIT count tells us what kinds of services and housing are needed and informs federal and state funding allocations. This year’s count is also significant because it will establish LA City’s housing obligation in the LA Alliance for Human Rights legal settlement.

The PIT count helps us understand who is homeless so governments can match care and housing to their needs. The data below compare 2020 numbers with 2022:

• The number of people experiencing homelessness (PEH) in the City of LA increased by 2% to 41,980.ⁱ
• The City’s chronically homeless population grew by 15% to 18,182.ⁱⁱ
• The homeless population got older with a 21% increase in those age 65-69 and a 17% increase in those age 70-79.ⁱⁱⁱ
• While the overall number of PEH in Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) increased by 3%, the share living unsheltered increased by 57%, a dramatic shift that means homelessness is more visible.^iv

These trends may suggest that many of the pandemic-related interventions supported a younger and less service-reliant population.

The state and federal government allocate homelessness funding to jurisdictions based on the PIT count. The count is required by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and dollars are allocated based on how many PEH were tallied. The federal government provides the most resources to places with the largest homeless populations.

California continues to have the largest homeless population in the nation with 161,548 PEH followed by New York with 91,271 and Florida with 27,487^v even though the state provided a total of $7.2 billion in FY 2021-2022 toward homelessness.^vi As the City and County governments continue to refine their homelessness response, it will be important to focus on an approach that provides tailored support and interventions to all homeless sub-populations. It will be challenging, and there will of course be competing interests, but we have the funding and capacity for a comprehensive strategy.

This year’s PIT count will determine the number of beds LA City government must provide under the LA Alliance settlement. Per the settlement, the City may enforce no-camping laws on a Council District-by-Council District basis when there is enough housing capacity within a given district to accommodate 60% of “shelter appropriate” individuals.

The amount of PEH varies greatly by Council District (CD), so each will be responsible for supplying temporary housing capacity at very different levels–CD 14, which includes most of DTLA, has 9,204 PEH^vii compared to CD 2’s 1,364.^viii Every other CD could implement no-camping laws long before CD 14, as the City is only required to provide shelter for those deemed  “shelter appropriate.” In the city, CD 14 has the largest homeless population and thus has the largest housing obligation. Additionally, chronically homeless people who don’t qualify as “shelter appropriate” have the largest presence in CD 14. This disparity will further harm the people in DTLA who continue to live in unhealthy conditions on the streets, as well as the community who struggles to navigate shared space and access to businesses, parks and more.

The DTLA community will carry the city’s responsibility if it becomes the only district in the city where districtwide enforcement is not permitted. LA City has 30 days from the release of the count to calculate the required housing capacity per CD that will inform how much more units/beds to provide. The numbers should be released soon.

Given that homelessness continues to be most acute in DTLA, successfully housing people who are homeless in Downtown should be the barometer we use to assess our progress toward solving homelessness across the city. We will continue to advocate for a citywide approach that comprehensively addresses the needs of people experiencing homelessness.

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i    https://www.lahsa.org/documents?id=6516-city-of-la-hc22-data-summary
ii   Ibid.
iii  Ibid.
iv  Ibid.
v    https://www.lahsa.org/documents?id=6516-city-of-la-hc22-data-summary
vi   https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4521
vii  https://www.lahsa.org/documents?id=6530-cd-14-pre-redistricting-hc2022-data-summary
viii https://www.lahsa.org/documents?id=6518-cd-2-pre-redistricting-hc2022-data-summary.pdf