The number of homeless people rose in the city and county of Los Angeles so far this year after the region reported fewer unhoused people for two consecutive years, officials announced Friday.
Homelessness went up 1.2% in the county of LA with some 73,000 unhoused people, according to figures from the 2026 Greater LA Homelessness Count. The city of LA now has about 45,194 unhoused people, a 3.4% increase from last year.
Among the unhoused, people living in encampments or cars went up by 3.3% in the county and 7.9% in the city, the data showed.
The latest data is based on the survey the LA Homeless Service Authority (LAHSA) conduted the count over a three-day period in late January.
LAHSA Interim CEO Gita O’Neill blamed economic hardships, including the higher cost of living, for forcing more people out of their homes.
“This may not be what people want to hear, but the good news is thanks to LAHSA’s administrative data, we have clear visibility into why our progress has stalled, and what it will take to get back on track,” O’Neill added.
Paul Rubenstein, LAHSA chief of staff, emphasized that the homeless count is not a useful measure of neighborhood-level homelessness, but rather it is designed to provide a snapshot of homelessness across the region.
He explained that time-limited subsidies is a low-barrier, short-term rental subsidy that helps people experiencing homelessness secure housing. After LAHSA lost funding for time-limited subsidies, there are fewer available slots in housing.
“The number of new (time-limited subsidy) movements in 2025 dropped to below 2022,” Rubenstein said. “That drop contributed to more than 5,000 fewer people receiving permanent housing.”
Rubenstein noted the increase in the unsheltered homelessness count was driven by the rise of more people living in recreational vehicles on the streets.
The latest data came as LA city and county officials have repeated emphasized a 17.5% decrease in homelessness in the over last two years.
While there are more than three months to recover before Election Day, homelessness was central to Mayor Karen Bass’ agenda at City Hall. Conan Nolan reports for the NBC4 News at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
LA Mayor Karen Bass told NBC Los Angeles, while she takes responsibility for the new homelessness number, she urged people to look at the data with context: she blamed the Trump administration for the increase in homelessness, saying its policies have drive up the cost of living while reducing federal funding for safety net programs.
“For the last three years, when there has been a reduction in people on the street. That was historic. That had not happened in our city before,” Bass said
The mayor also noted the city lost $70 million in state funding in combating homelessness.
The latest increase in homelessness in the city and county came as the county government decided to form its own homelessness agency and diverted more than $300 million. Mayor Bass said she’s envisioning something similar for the city.
“I’m not defending a system that we know is broken,” Bass told NBCLA, referring to “documented fraud” linked to LAHSA. “But we need to continue getting people off the streets while we transform the system and develop a new system that is absolutely transparent and accountable.”
Some elected officials such as Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado and Traci Park touted marks of progress in their
respective areas.
Jurado said in her 14th District, covering downtown and East LA neighborhoods, there was additional 622 more people moved into interim housing compared to last year’s count. Park, who represents the city’s coastal neighborhoods, touted a 33% decrease in homelessness, which she cited were the result of outreach, expanded access to shelter and housing, and the enforcement of LA’s anti-camping law.
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, who represents northeast San Fernando Valley neighborhoods, criticized LAHSA for its lack of progress. Rodriguez has previously called for the city to part ways from the agency.
“Until Los Angeles commits to a homelessness response built on direct oversight, clear accountability and measurable outcomes, we should not expect different results,” Rodriguez said in a statement.
City News Service contributed to this report.