The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) is recruiting thousands of volunteers for the 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, scheduled for Jan. 20-22, as the annual census faces ongoing questions about its accuracy and reliability.
Volunteers of all ages are welcome to participate in the three-night event, though those 17 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is open now, and all past volunteer accounts have expired, requiring returning participants to create new accounts. The count typically requires three to four hours of volunteer time, including training, and takes place at night in most areas.
LAHSA coordinates approximately 150 deployment sites across LA County's 4,000 square miles. Teams of three to four canvass assigned census tracts after 8 p.m., using a mobile app to visually tally every person sleeping outdoors or in vehicles, tents and makeshift shelters. Paper forms serve as backup if technology fails.
The count is divided by geographic region. Tuesday, Jan. 20, covers the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys and Metro Los Angeles. Wednesday, Jan. 21, includes the San Gabriel Valley and East Los Angeles. Thursday, Jan. 22, encompasses the Antelope Valley, West Los Angeles (including Santa Monica) South Los Angeles and South Bay/Harbor areas. The Antelope Valley and some West LA areas are counted in the morning due to visibility or safety concerns.
The annual count has both local, regional and national implications. Officials say the year to year comparison serves as a critical tool for understanding the scope of the homelessness crisis in individual cities, authorities use the information to inform policy and federal funding is dependent in part on the count.
LAHSA conducts four separate components to produce the complete count: the Street Count of unsheltered individuals, a Youth Count surveying unaccompanied youth under 25, a Demographic Survey conducted with USC, and a Housing Inventory Count tracking those in shelters and transitional housing. Results are typically released in late spring or early summer.
In the post-COVID era, Los Angeles County's homeless population generally grew, though the rate of increase fluctuated and eventually tapered off before recording a small decline in the most recent count.
While homelessness decreased throughout Los Angeles County, Santa Monica reported an increase. The local count showed homelessness rose 5% in 2024, from 774 to 812 people. The population growth was driven largely by car campers, with 21 more people living in vehicles for a total of 84. The city also saw 29 more people in local shelters for a total of 202, while four fewer people were found living outside, dropping that total to 475.
Santa Monica's increase contrasts sharply with county and regional trends. The 2025 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count showed homelessness down 4% countywide to 72,308 and down 3.4% in Los Angeles to 43,699. In Service Planning Area 5, which includes Santa Monica, homelessness declined 6.4%. Other SPA 5 communities also saw decreases: Culver City dropped nearly 9%, Venice declined 22% and Malibu reported a record low of 33 homeless people.
However, the count's accuracy has faced increasing scrutiny, with officials, experts and community members raising concerns about its reliability.
Critics argue the count undercounts the true homeless population, especially unsheltered people. A 2024 RAND study found LA's official count in areas like Hollywood, Skid Row and Venice was 26% lower than a simultaneous professional count, a gap that widened to 32% in 2025. RAND warned such undercounts could misdirect resources.
Methodology changes have also caused confusion. LAHSA uses statistical multipliers to estimate how many people occupy tents or vehicles, and these formulas have evolved over time. After the 2019 count, LAHSA revised results at the city council district level due to a new estimation method, highlighting that the count relies on statistical tools rather than simple headcounts.
Technical errors have undermined confidence. In 2022, an entire Venice census tract was initially reported as having zero unsheltered people — an obvious error that drew incredulity. LAHSA acknowledged user and technological errors due to spotty training and poor internet connectivity. The 2024 count saw similar troubles with the mobile app crashing and login problems.
An LAist investigation found LAHSA excluded more volunteer observations in 2024 than prior years — only 81% of recorded sightings were ultimately counted versus 87% the year before. Almost all dropped data came from within LA city limits. LAHSA explained they remove erroneous entries but had no formal written protocol for these decisions, fueling skepticism about transparency.
LAHSA itself has become a controversial subject with both the city and County of Los Angeles terminating contracts with the organization over concerns about its effectiveness. LAHSA denies any manipulation or wrongdoing in any of its services, maintaining recent decreases in the count were evidence that its programs work.
To volunteer for the 2026 count, visit the LAHSA website or email homelesscount@lahsa.org.