About the Count
The Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count is a point-in-time estimate of everyone experiencing homelessness in the Los Angeles Continuum of Care, which covers all of Los Angeles County except the cities of Pasadena, Glendale and Long Beach. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires it, so that communities can see how investment in homeless services is affecting homelessness.
Since 2017, the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work has worked with LAHSA on the design, implementation and analysis of the Count, with partners at UCLA and Lens Co. The work sits within USC's Center for Homelessness, Housing and Health Equity Research (H3E), which conducts intervention-focused research and trains homeless service practitioners.
H3E's research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute, the Hilton Foundation, Google.org and the Epstein Family Foundation.
How the Count works
The estimate is built from four sources, gathered over the winter and analysed by USC.
- 1
Point-in-time count
Teams count unsheltered people and dwellings (tents, vehicles and makeshift shelters) across the county.
- 2
Demographic survey
Trained USC survey teams interview a sample of unsheltered adults across the county between December and March, so the count can be described by age, race, gender, veteran status, health and more.
- 3
Youth count and survey
A dedicated count and survey of unsheltered young people, coordinated with Lens Co / Young People to the Front.
- 4
Sheltered population
Administrative data from the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), plus reporting from shelters that are not in HMIS.
- 5
Analysis and release
USC combines the sources into population estimates and publishes a methodology report; LAHSA releases the results and data summaries.
2026 at a glance
LAHSA released the 2026 results on July 24, 2026. After two years of decline, homelessness in Los Angeles County rose slightly, by 1.2%, and by 3.4% in the City of Los Angeles; LAHSA notes neither change is statistically significant. The full results page breaks the estimate down by region, age, shelter status and the reasons people gave, with four years of trends.
73,040
People experiencing homelessness in LA County
+1.2% from 2025 (not statistically significant)
45,194
In the City of Los Angeles
+3.4% from 2025 (not statistically significant)
67%
Unsheltered countywide
49,002 people; 24,038 were sheltered
45%
Experiencing chronic homelessness
32,563 people countywide
How the 2026 estimate was built
The Los Angeles Continuum of Care estimate was 68,576 (plus or minus 1,282), combining three components.
- 1
Unsheltered adults: 64.3%
A visual street count of people and dwellings (cars, vans, RVs, tents and makeshift shelters), converted to people using USC's demographic survey. Each dwelling held 1.86 people on average in 2026, up 16% since 2023.
- 2
Sheltered adults and youth: 33.0%
A count of people in shelters, plus administrative data from the Homeless Management Information System.
- 3
Unsheltered youth: 2.7%
A survey-based count using respondent-driven sampling.
Training
Everyone on the Demographic Survey team completes a training series before going into the field: what the survey is for, how to approach and engage people with respect, where we survey and what we carry, survey protocols, and a full run-through, plus the ESRI survey app and Narcan. Drivers and Team Leads complete additional training for their roles.
7 trainings
All staff
Start with the Demo Survey Overview, then Approach and Engagement, Where We Survey and Materials, Survey Protocols and Conduct, the Demo Survey Run-Through, ESRI app training and Narcan training.
2 trainings
Drivers and Team Leads
Role training on top of the all-staff series: Drivers Training and Team Lead Training.
Partners
The Count and our research depend on agencies, universities, funders and community organizations across Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA)
Lead agency of the Los Angeles Continuum of Care; it runs the Count with USC and publishes the results.
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Homelessness Policy Research Institute (HPRI)
A collaborative of researchers, policymakers, providers and people with lived experience working on solutions to homelessness in LA County.
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Lens Co / Young People to the Front
Los Angeles research and advocacy team that coordinates the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Youth Count.
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UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
Research partner on the Count and on studies of housing and health.
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Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Family foundation funding work to improve the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people.
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Grand Challenges for Social Work
The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare's initiative for evidence-based solutions, including ending homelessness.
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Shelter Partnership
Nonprofit providing policy analysis, program design and resource development for homeless services across LA County.
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Chrysalis
Employment nonprofit that has connected the Count with dedicated surveyors from diverse backgrounds.
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National Center for Excellence in Homeless Services
A consortium of schools of social work strengthening services for people experiencing homelessness.
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Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC
USC's dental school, whose community care reaches people across Southern California.
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Bombas
Sock company that donates a pair for every pair sold; socks are the most requested clothing item in shelters.
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Miry's List
Nonprofit helping newly arrived refugee families resettle in the United States.
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IRS Demo (Interior Removal Specialist, Inc.)
Southern California contractor whose donation program repurposes furniture and materials for the community.
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Admin Team
Amy Stein, MSc, MFA
Project Manager
Camilla Catignas
Project Specialist
Shantel Cordon
Project Specialist
Joyston Menezes
Software Developer
Danielle Paulazzo
Ben Henwood, PhD, MSW
Director, Professor
VetConnect
VetConnect connects unhoused veterans met during the Demographic Survey with housing and health care, including substance use and mental health services. It is a collaboration between USC, the Greater Los Angeles Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Mental Health's Veteran Peer Access Network (VPAN), and ran during the 2024 and 2025 Demographic Surveys. The pilot set out to show that survey teams could connect people to services through a responsive partnership with the VA, and to test whether self-reported veteran status is a reliable measure of veteran homelessness in the county. It used three outreach approaches:
Most effective
Blitz Days
Outreach during Demographic Survey blitz days in SPAs 4, 5 and 8. Blitz Days produced 29 of the pilot's 34 referrals and some of its most significant outcomes.
On Call
Outreach available on Demographic Survey days, focused mainly on SPAs 4 and 5.
Hotline
A hotline that ran through the whole survey period and covered every SPA except 4 and 5.
Stay connected
Questions about the Count, our research or our training programs? Send us a message and the team will get back to you.