Homelessness in Los Angeles County has declined for the second consecutive year, according to preliminary estimates from the 2025 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. But while officials on Monday hailed the results as proof that regional collaboration is working, they stopped short of releasing specific city-level figures, including those for Santa Monica.
The data, presented during a press event hosted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), offered a broad overview of trends across the county. Speakers included LAHSA CEO Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum, USC researcher Dr. Benjamin Henwood and LA Mayor Karen Bass, who used the occasion to reaffirm her administration’s commitment to ending street homelessness.
“Change is possible when we refuse to accept encampments as normal,” Bass said during her remarks, later referencing her Inside Safe initiative and the city’s ongoing emergency response. “This is good news. But we know there is more work to do.”
According to LAHSA, an estimated 72,308 people were experiencing homelessness across Los Angeles County during this year’s three-night count, which took place February 18–20. That figure represents a 4 percent drop from 2024. The City of Los Angeles, which accounts for the largest share of the county’s unhoused population, recorded an estimated 43,699 people, down 3.4 percent from the previous year.
Officials attributed the reductions to sustained housing placements, targeted encampment resolution strategies and increased shelter access. According to LAHSA, unsheltered homelessness dropped 9.5 percent countywide and 7.9 percent in the City of Los Angeles, while the number of people in shelters increased 8.5 percent and 4.7 percent respectively. Over a two-year span, unsheltered homelessness has fallen 14 percent across the county and 17.5 percent within the city.
The news was framed as a collective victory for municipal agencies, nonprofit providers and frontline outreach teams. But few additional details were offered during Friday’s presentation, which also included testimony from formerly unhoused residents, provider success stories and street medicine teams. Specific data for individual cities, including Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Culver City, is expected to be released later this summer.
The omission was notable. Last year’s Santa Monica count was released as part of LAHSA’s regional breakdown in late June and showed a 6 percent decrease from 2023, with 774 people tallied across the city. That data was broken down further by shelter, vehicle and improvised dwelling status. No such breakdown was provided at the press conference on Monday and LAHSA did not commit to a date for releasing local figures.
This year’s event was also the first count since the City of Santa Monica voted to extend its homelessness emergency for another 12 months. With the count now administered by LAHSA rather than the city itself, as it had been in years prior, local officials and service providers are still adjusting to the new reporting timeline.
scott.snowden@smdp.com