Homelessness increased by about 9% countywide and by 45% the Santa Monica area this year according to the latest results released by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).
LAHSA released the results of the 2023 Homeless Count and said homelessness increased by 9% to 75,518 in Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles saw a 10% increase to 46,260.
The increase was driven almost entirely by huge spikes in the western and southern regions of the county, including the area covering Santa Monica.
The County divides its count into eight Service Planning Areas (SPA) and Santa Monica is in SPA 5 alongside Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Beverly Crest, Beverly Glen, Brentwood, Century City, Culver City, Holmby Hills, Laurel Canyon, Malibu, Mar Vista, Marina Del Rey, Manchester, Pacific Palisades, Palms, Rancho Park, South Robertson, Venice, Westchester and Westwood.
According to LAHSA, homelessness increased by 45 percent in the region or 2,065 individuals from a total of 4,604 in 2022 to 6,669 this year.
That spike accounts for about a third of the total increase in Los Angeles County. The county’s southernmost tip grew by a similar amount (2,031) and the south east portion grew by 1,730 people.
LAHSA said the rise in LA County’s homeless population coincides with increases in major cities across the United States. Chicago and Portland saw double-digit increases (+57% and +20% respectively), while several Southern California counties experienced increases larger than Los Angeles, including San Bernardino (+26%), San Diego (+22%), Kern (+22%), and Riverside (+12%).
The increases were almost entirely in people living on the streets, not the region’s shelter population.
“The homeless count results tell us what we already know — that we have a crisis on our streets, and it’s getting worse,” said Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum, LAHSA Chief Executive Officer. “The important thing to take away from today is that for the first time, the city, county, and LAHSA are moving with urgency to house the people living on our streets.”
She said efforts should focus on replicating successful models where available.
“We need to collaborate and coordinate to end unsheltered homelessness. In the past, when we’ve set goals and dedicated resources to focus on specific populations, like veterans, we saw the numbers drop. We need to apply that mindset to addressing unsheltered homelessness countywide,” she said. “We are all dedicated to addressing street homelessness. We’ve already had success with our early efforts, but we need to work together to scale them enough to address this humanitarian crisis.”
Municipalities conduct the volunteer driven count each year to tally the number of people who appear to be living outside, in cars, and in shelters. Individual cities, such as Santa Monica, conduct their own operations and LAHSA is responsible for generating the wider total that includes unincorporated areas.
The goal of the point-in-time count is to get a snapshot of the homeless population and by conducting a simultaneous count, officials hope to make it less likely to double count or miss individuals who move around. The number of people in shelters is also calculated on the same night for the same reason.
While the count is mandated by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, it also helps officials to gain a better idea of the number of people living in homelessness, demographic trends among the population, and locations of concentration. This data is used to inform local and regional efforts to address homelessness and can affect how resources are allocated.
According to the annual Homeless Count in Santa Monica, homelessness increased by 15% in the city compared to the previous year. The count found an additional 73 individuals on the streets and 46 in shelters, bringing the total to 926.
All efforts to stem the tide have failed recently with homelessness increasing by about 70% countywide since 2015 but this year’s results come amidst yet another wave of new programs and services across the region. Santa Monica recently funded a new strategic plan on homelessness alongside additional outreach teams, expansion of shelter hours and eviction protection measures.
“These results are disappointing. It is frustrating to have more people fall into homelessness even as we are investing hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars and resources into efforts to bring people inside,” said Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Janice Hahn. “I appreciate the cities that have stepped up and supported solutions, but these numbers prove that solutions-oriented cities are too few and far between. I hold out hope that the new partnership between the County and City of Los Angeles will make a difference and help us more effectively address this crisis. 2023 needs to be a watershed year for us where we turn these trends around.”
Los Angeles Councilwoman Traci Park unveiled a new proposal on Wednesday to address the pressing issue of individuals living in recreational vehicles (RVs) within her Los Angeles district that includes Venice. The motion put forward by Councilwoman Park will allocate a budget of $500,000 to establish an RV Rehousing Pilot Program, which will focus on providing comprehensive support services and viable pathways to permanent housing.
“Crisis demands action,” Councilwoman Park said. “Our community is grappling with an alarming increase in individuals living in RVs and the RV Rehousing Pilot Program is not just about responding to a crisis, but also about safeguarding public health, environmental wellness, and community safety. We are responsible for ensuring that everyone, including our most vulnerable populations, has access to safe and secure housing.”
She said the new numbers were sobering. Park said her office has transitioned about 200 individuals to housing so far but said more needs to be done.
“We need to face the fact that homelessness is a multifaceted issue and often intertwined with other crises such as addiction and mental health,” she said. “Today’s numbers show that 30% of the unhoused population self-reported substance use disorder, and 25% self-reported serious mental illness. And yet, we are not adequately investing in recovery housing or addiction treatment. We need our State and County partners to step up with the right kind of interventions and services to get at these very serious problems that contribute to the homelessness crisis.”
Santa Monica based The People Concern serves homeless clients across the Los Angeles area and said they believe in a housing first approach that prioritizes housing before other kinds of services.
“The numbers released today by LAHSA reflect that the homelessness crisis continues to be the humanitarian crisis of our time demonstrating the urgent need for building more housing and implementing effective homelessness prevention strategies.” says John Maceri, CEO of The People Concern.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had previously announced that in the first six months of her administration, more than 14,000 people moved from LA’s streets to interim or permanent housing, with over 4,300 obtaining permanent housing and that count was concluded before many of those individuals were housed.
County officials said a recent study cited the high cost of housing as the primary driver of homelessness in the State.
“Today’s announcement confirms why we are in a state of emergency: more Angelenos continue falling into homelessness than we are able to house,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. “Over the last six months, we have proven that our unified approach is connecting more people to housing and services. Now we must address the root causes of homelessness by investing in families; working to make housing more affordable; and, most importantly, keep people in the places they already call home.”
