New figures show homelessness in Los Angeles has risen for the first time in three years, with Mayor Karen Bass attributing the increase to federal policy changes and reduced state funding, as the issue becomes a central theme ahead of November’s mayoral election.
Homelessness in Los Angeles has increased for the first time since 2023, according to figures released Thursday, reversing two years of decline that Mayor Karen Bass had previously highlighted as a key achievement of her administration. The latest count found a 3.5% rise in the number of people experiencing homelessness across the city compared with the previous year, pushing the figure back to levels last seen in 2024. Bass attributed the increase to policy and funding changes at the federal and state level, while local officials and advocacy groups pointed to a combination of rising housing costs and reduced support services.
Scale of the problem
The latest annual count estimates that more than 77,000 people are experiencing homelessness across Los Angeles County, with over 48,000 of those living within the City of Los Angeles itself. Officials said the increase was driven largely by a rise in first-time homelessness, with more people becoming homeless over the past year than were permanently housed during the same period. The count also found that family homelessness had increased, with rising housing costs continuing to push more households into homelessness. One area of relative improvement was among veterans, with the number of homeless veterans remaining lower than in previous years, which city officials attributed to targeted housing programmes.
Mayor Bass’s response
In a statement given to Fox 11, Bass said her administration’s progress over the past two years had ultimately been undermined by cuts and policy changes beyond the city’s control. “For two years straight, we drove down homelessness by historic margins – but as expected, last year our efforts ultimately couldn’t keep up with policies and funding cuts on the federal and state levels,” she said. She went on to argue that federal policy had “driven up the cost of gas, groceries, and rent — pushing more families to the edge — and slashed critical safety net funding,” and said a state funding cut of more than $70 million had “severely impacted” the city’s efforts to keep people housed.
Bass also pointed to gaps in services provided at the county level, saying: “The lack of adequate services continues to be a real problem and a contributing factor to people cycling in and out of homelessness, and these services are controlled by LA County.” She highlighted what she described as progress made since 2023, including a 13% reduction in homelessness, placing tens of thousands of residents in interim housing, moving 6,000 people off the streets through the city’s Inside Safe programme, and housing more than 1,000 homeless veterans. “This crisis was ignored by city leaders for decades, it’s only now that we’ve seen a historic decline – I will never stop fighting until no Angelenos are sleeping on our streets,” she said.
Ahead of the figures’ release, Bass had shared a video on X highlighting her administration’s homelessness efforts, writing: “No Angeleno should be living on our streets.”
Inside Safe and its record
The city’s Inside Safe initiative, which Bass has frequently cited as a central part of her homelessness strategy, has now moved more than 6,000 people from street encampments into temporary accommodation since it launched. However, the programme’s overall record has drawn mixed assessments, with the latest figures reigniting scrutiny of its long-term effectiveness.
Downtown Los Angeles remains at the centre of the crisis
Downtown Los Angeles, home to Skid Row, continues to be central to discussions of the city’s homelessness crisis. Jens Midthun, president of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, told Fox 11 that abandoned and poorly maintained properties were compounding the problem in the area. “These are nuisance properties. There’s not enough inspectors, there’s not enough funding for these programs. They’re not operating in a way that is acceptable to the neighborhood,” Midthun said. “Downtown, we face the brunt of it. Downtown is the heart of the homelessness crisis,” he added. Business groups in the area have renewed calls for faster clearance of encampments and stronger enforcement against illegal dumping and neglected properties.
Wider context and political stakes
Homelessness advocates have argued that high rents, a shortage of affordable housing, and the expiry of pandemic-era assistance programmes continue to drive the crisis despite increased spending on services. Los Angeles County officials said they intend to continue expanding permanent supportive housing and mental health services, arguing that long-term housing solutions remain essential to reducing homelessness in the region.
The latest figures are expected to make homelessness one of the defining issues of the upcoming Los Angeles mayoral race. Bass is set to face councilwoman Nithya Raman, who chairs the city’s Housing and Homelessness Committee, in November’s election. Raman has also faced criticism over her record on homelessness, including scrutiny of a $60 million affordable housing project that had, as of recent reports, delivered only three of a planned 2,000 apartments for homeless residents.
