According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, in 2018, approximately 50,000 to 60,000 persons may be found homeless on any given night in Los Angeles County. Youth, from minors through age 24, with the largest concentrations in the Hollywood and Venice communities of Los Angeles, make up more than 700 of these.
Although homeless people may be found throughout the county, the largest concentrations are in the central Los Angeles area (27%) and in South Los Angeles (16%). Most are from the Los Angeles area and stay in or near the communities from which they came. About 7% are veterans. African Americans make up 34% of Los Angeles County's homeless population - hughly disproportionate to the percentage of African Americans overall in Los Angeles County (about 8 percent).
Since 2005, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, an agency of the City of Los Angeles, has conducted numerical and demographic counts of homelessness, not only within the city of Los Angeles, but throughout Los Angeles County. Over the course of three days in January, this count is conducted with the help of thousands of volunteers branching out throughout Los Angeles County.
| Year | City of Los Angeles | All Los Angeles County | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Unsheltered | Sheltered | Total | Unsheltered | Sheltered | |
| 2018 | 31,285 | 22,887 | 8,398 | 52,765 | 39,396 | 13,369 |
| 2017 | 34,189 | 25,237 | 8,952 | 57,794 | 42,828 | 14,966 |
| 2015 | 25,686 | 17,687 | 7,999 | 44,359 | 31,018 | 13,341 |
| 2013 | 22,993 | 14,968 | 8,025 | 39,463 | 25,136 | 14,327 |
| 2011 | - | - | - | 39,135 | 20,517 | 19,176 |
| 2009 | - | - | - | 38,602 | 21,073 | 16,745 |
| 2007 | - | - | - | 52,956 | 39,168 | 13,788 |
| 2005 | - | - | - | 65,287 | 53,429 | 11,858 |
| Year | Antelope Valley (SPA 1) |
San Fernando Valley (SPA 2) |
San Gabriel Valley (SPA 3) |
Metro LA (SPA 4) |
West LA (SPA 5) |
South LA (SPA 6) |
East LA County (SPA7 ) |
South Bay/ Harbor (SPA 8) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 3,203 | 7,738 | 4,282 | 14,218 | 4,401 | 8,343 | 4,569 | 6,011 |
| 2017 | 4,559 | 7,459 | 3,552 | 15,393 | 5,511 | 9,243 | 5,189 | 4,282 |
| 2015 | 2,818 | 5,216 | 3,093 | 11,681 | 4,276 | 7,513 | 3,571 | 3,006 |
| 2013 | 2,113 | 4,836 | 2,794 | 10,472 | 3,667 | 7,045 | 2,429 | 2,168 |
| 2011 | 1,412 | 3,720 | 2,499 | 10,086 | 3,512 | 7,541 | 3,208 | 2,644 |
| 2009 | 1,609 | 3,312 | 2,780 | 10,339 | 3,738 | 5,504 | 2,993 | 2,401 |
| 2007 | 1,238 | 4,464 | 6,648 | 16,109 | 4,580 | 7,786 | 3,806 | 3,806 |
| 2005 | 2,404 | 8,051 | 7,145 | 14,041 | 4,773 | 11,919- | 4,982 | 5,918 |
Map of Los Angeles County Service Planning Areas
Percentages in tables that follow are against total homeless population for that specific geographic.
| Race/Ethnic Group | City of Los Angeles | All County of Los Angeles* |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 324 (1%) | 565 (1%) |
| Asian | 352 (1%) | 545 (1%) |
| Black/African American | 12,235 (39%) | 17,825 (34%) |
| Hispanic/Latino | 10,813 (35%) | 17,540 (33%) |
| Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander | 77 (0.2%) | 221 (0.4%) |
| White | 6,978 (22%) | 12,538 (24%) |
| Multi-Racial/Other | 506 (2%) | 721 (1%) |
| Age Group/Percentage | City of Los Angeles | All County of Los Angeles* |
|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 3,022 (10%) | 4,974 (9%) |
| 18 - 24 | 2,052 (7%) | 3,098 (6%) |
| 25 and Over | 26,211 (84%) | 44,693 (85%) |
| Characteristic/Percentage | City of Los Angeles | All Los Angeles County* |
|---|---|---|
| Veterans | 2,048 (7%) | 3,886 (7%) |
| Chronically Homeless Individuals | 8,360 (27%) | 13,559 (26%) |
| Chronically Homeless Family Members | 278 (1%) | 516 (1%) |
| Substance Use Disorder** | 4,738 (17%) | 7,117 (15%) |
| Persons with HIV/AIDS** | 588 (2%) | 740 (2%) |
| Serious Mental Illness** | 7,843 (28%) | 12,748 (27%) |
| Physical Disability** | 4,391 (16%) | 6,756 (13%) |
| Developmental Disability** | 1,764 (6%) | 2,530 (5%) |
| Domestic Violence Experience** | 9,088 (32%) | 13,374 (25%) |
| Homeless Due to Fleeing Domestic Violence** | 1,913 (7%) | 3,076 (6%) |
* Accumulated numbers for all Service Planning Areas. These do not necessarily equal county-wide totals.
** Percentage is prevalence in homeless population age 18 and over.
The 2018 homeless count by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority found 63 unaccompanied homeless minors (under age 18) of which 28 were unsheltered; 1,577 unsheltered transitional age youth (age 18-24); and 1,521 sheltered transitional age youth.
The 2018 homeless count in Los Angeles County found 7,368 people living in cars or vans and 8,380 people living in recreational vehicles or campers.
Source: Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
Also see: Shelter Partnership, Inc
Is it less costly to help the homeless get off the street than to leave them there? Weingart Center, in a 2015 interview with Fast Company, proposed that an "investment" of $10,000 can help a homeless person obtain housing, food, job training and ultimately a job, along with support services to acheive that end. On the other hand, leaving a homeless person on the street costs Los Angeles an average of $35,000 each year in medical and emergency services, mental health care, social services and law enforcement. Jailing a homeless person pushes that cost up by a third.
