The unsheltered homeless population in Venice declined by 22% in 2024, with 165 fewer people living on the streets compared to the previous year, according to a comprehensive study released by RAND Corporation researchers.
The decline represents a significant shift, which has seen relatively stable homeless populations in recent years. The Los Angeles Longitudinal Enumeration and Demographic Survey (LA LEADS) found that Venice's unsheltered population dropped from approximately 750 people in December 2023 to around 585 people by December 2024.
However, researchers say the causes behind Venice's improvement remain largely mysterious, unlike other Los Angeles neighborhoods where specific policy interventions showed clearer connections to population changes.
"Why vehicle-dwelling declined in Venice is unclear," the study states, noting that the reduction was "strictly limited to people living in vehicles" rather than tents or other structures.
The research team, led by Louis Abramson, Sarah B. Hunter, Jason M. Ward, Michelle Bongard and Rick Garvey, conducted bimonthly counts throughout 2024 and found that 80 fewer vehicles were observed in Venice during the study period – enough to account for the entire reduction in unsheltered people.
Unlike other areas where Mayor Karen Bass's Inside Safe program showed direct correlations with population decreases, "no meaningful Inside Safe actions took place near the LA LEADS survey footprint in Venice in 2024," according to the study.
The researchers also found limited evidence that law enforcement activities drove the decline. Citations for violating oversized vehicle parking restrictions actually fell by nearly half compared to 2023, dropping from 200 to 106 citations. Only 28 people were cited for Los Angeles Municipal Code 41.18 violations – which prohibit sitting, sleeping or lying in designated public areas – representing just 22% of the observed population decline.
The study expanded its monitoring area in 2024 to determine whether homeless individuals were simply moving to other parts of Venice, but found that "trends in this extension of our original study area mirrored those in West Venice, evidence that is inconsistent with small geographical shifts of unsheltered people eastward."
Despite the overall population decrease, Venice faces a troubling shift in the types of homelessness. The percentage of survey respondents who reported "sleeping rough" – living literally without any shelter, tent, or vehicle – jumped dramatically from 23% in 2023 to 48% in 2024.
This trend mirrors broader challenges across Los Angeles, where rough sleeping has become increasingly prevalent as tent encampments are cleared but people remain unhoused.
Venice's homeless population showed distinct characteristics compared to other areas studied. Survey respondents in Venice "tended to be younger than those in Skid Row" and reported "higher levels of education and employment, with approximately one in five employed."
However, nearly 60% of Venice respondents were "currently not looking for housing," a significantly higher rate than in Hollywood and Skid Row, where most people actively sought housing. This suggests "a need to tailor outreach strategies to meet specific local needs," the researchers noted.
Venice residents also reported lower levels of service access, with only 39% receiving street medicine support within the past 30 days, compared to 57% overall across all study areas.
The RAND count is unrelated to the official organized by the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority whose count will be released later this month. LAHSA counts individuals throughout the Los Angeles area and the figures are used to determine funding for services.
The RAND study tracked three Los Angeles neighborhoods – Venice, Hollywood and Skid Row – from late 2021 through 2024, providing the most comprehensive longitudinal data available on unsheltered homelessness trends in specific LA communities. Data collection included both regular population counts and face-to-face surveys with homeless individuals.
"More study is needed to determine the extent to which specific policies or other forces drove 2024's decline in unsheltered homelessness in Venice," the researchers concluded.
The findings come as Los Angeles officials work to address the city's persistent homelessness crisis, with more than 29,000 individuals estimated to be living unsheltered countywide in 2024.
The RAND study was supported by the Lowy Family through the RAND Center on Housing and Homelessness.
