L.A.’s annual point-in-time homelessness count was released Friday, showing a 10% drop in the number of people sleeping outdoors in the city.
It comes after beefed up investments in shelter and longer term housing: Since L.A. Mayor Karen Bass took office in December 2022, the city has invested more than $1 billion to try and address homelessness.
It’s a dramatic shift from last year’s count, which saw a 15% increase in unsheltered homelessness in the city.
“It is very, very exciting results,” said Councilmember Nithya Raman, who chairs the council’s housing and homelessness committee, in an interview with LAist.
“For the first time in a very long time, we are seeing a reduction —a significant reduction, over 10% — in the number of people on our streets,” she added.
Meanwhile, the number of people in shelter rose by double digits — reflecting a shift in people moving from the streets to being indoors.
Why the overall numbers stayed flat
Overall homelessness tallied in the city was effectively flat — a change from increases in prior years. The count shows total homelessness dropping 2%, though officials said it’s within the margin of error.
The count estimated 45,252 people were unhoused in the city of L.A. at the time of the January tally, including an estimated 29,275 people living unsheltered.
Local homelessness officials attributed the change to what they call an unprecedented investment in shelter and housing — including the mayor’s Inside Safe motel program — and better coordination between all levels of government.
At the same time, they cautioned that the city needs more affordable housing if the…
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