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Homelessness in Los Angeles County
2020

Los Angeles Almanac Photo.

On June 12, 2020, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority issued its first release of some 2020 results from the annual homeless count taken earlier in January. The count revealed a 12.7 percent increase in homelessness for Los Angeles County from 2019 to 2020. The city of Los Angeles saw a 14.2 percent increase. Some breakdown data for the city of Los Angeles is still pending release. These additional 2020 data releases will be updated in this page upon release.

According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, an estimated 82,955 people fell into homelessness during 2019. At the same time, in addition to 22,769 people being placed into housing through the county’s homeless services system, an estimated 52,686 people “self-resolved” out of homelessness. On average, 227 people become homeless every day and 207 are able to exit from homelessness. Among the alarming increases among the homeless is the 20 increase in homeless persons over age 62. Youth, from those under the age of 18 through age 24, make up more than 3,000 of the county's homeless population.

Although homeless people may be found throughout the county, the largest concentrations are in the Metro (Central) Los Angeles region (26%), South Los Angeles region (20%) and in the San Fernando Valley region (14%). Most homeless are from the Los Angeles area and stay in or near the communities from which they came. About 6% are veterans. African Americans make up 34% of Los Angeles County's homeless population – a highly disproportionate number as compared to the percentage of the population of African Americans in Los Angeles County overall (about 8 percent).

Also see: Population in Poverty in Los Angeles County.

Other Facts About the 2020 Homeless Population in Los Angeles County:

12% are under age 18.
32% are female.
20% are in family units (often headed by a single mother}.
17% are physically disabled.
38% are chronically homeless.
24% have substance abuse disorders.
22% suffer from serious mental illness.
29% experienced domestic/intimate partner violence.

Homeless Population Counts
By the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority

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.

Also see Homeless Counts in Los Angeles County by City

Homeless Population Counts in Los Angeles County
All Los Angeles County & City of Los Angeles

Numbers for all Los Angeles County communities are included.

Year	City of Los Angeles			All Los Angeles County
Year	Total	Unsheltered	Sheltered	Total	Unsheltered	Sheltered
2020	41,290	---*	---*	66,436	---*	---*
2019	36,300	27,221	8,944	58,936	42,471	13,786
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

* 2020 counts for these categories not yet released.

Homeless Population by Geographic Area
By Service Planning Areas (SPAs)

Numbers include those for Glendale (SPA 2), Long Beach (SPA 8) and Pasadena (SPA 3)

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 (SPA 7)	South Bay/ Harbor (SPA 8)
2020	4,755	9,277	5,082	17,121	6,009	13,012	4,586	6,594
2019	3,293	7,730	4,489	16,436	5,262	9,543	5,095	4,409
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

Race/Ethnicity of Homeless
Point-in-Time Count, January 2020, 2019, 2018

Race/Ethnic Group	City of Los Angeles			All of Los Angeles County†
Race/Ethnic Group	2020	2019	2018	2020	2019	2018
American Indian/Alaska Native	---*	530 (1.5%)	324 (1.0%)	686 (1.1%)	975 (1.7%)	565 (1.1%)
Asian	---*	299 (0.8%)	352 (1.1%)	774 (1.2%)	455 (0.8%)	545 (1.1%)
Black/African American	---*	13,629 (37.7%)	12,235 (39.1%)	21,509 (33.8%)	18,719 (33.3%)	17,825 (35.7%)
Hispanic/Latino	---*	12,403 (34.3%)	10,813 (34.6%)	23,005 (36.1%)	20,523 (36.5%)	17,540 (35.1%)
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	---*	100 (0.3%)	77 (0.2%)	205 (0.3%)	314 (0.6%)	221 (0.4%)
White	---*	8,223 (22.7%)	6,978 (22.3%)	16,208 (25.4%)	13,871 (24.7%)	12,538 (25.1%)
Multi-Racial/Other	---*	981 (2.7%)	506 (1.6%)	1,319 (2.1%)	1,400 (2.5%)	721 (1.4%)

* 2020 counts for these categories not yet released.
† Accumulated numbers for all Service Planning Areas. These do not include those for Glendale, Long Beach and Pasadena.

Age Group of Homeless
Point-in-Time Count, January 2020, 2019, 2018

Age Group/Percentage	City of Los Angeles			All of Los Angeles County†
Age Group/Percentage	2020	2019	2018	2020	2019	2018
Under 18	---*	3,305 (9.1%)	3,022 (9.7%)	7,491 (0.0%)	5,061 (9.0%)	4,731 (9.5%)
18 - 24	---*	2,272 (6.3%)	2,052 (6.6%)	4,181 (6.6%)	3,527 (6.3%)	2,955 (5.9%)
25 - 54	---*	21,788 (60.1%)	18,446 (59.0%)	37,138 (58.3%)	24,063 (42.8%)	29,571 (59.2%)
55 - 61	---*	5,654 (15.6%)	4,755 (15.2%)	8,606 (13.5%)	8,375 (14.9%)	7,871 (15.8%)
62 and Over	---*	3,146 (8.7%)	3,010 (9.6%)	6,290 (9.9%)	5,231 (9.3%)	4,827 (9.7%)

* 2020 counts for these categories not yet released.
† Accumulated numbers for all Service Planning Areas. These do not include those for Glendale, Long Beach and Pasadena.

Other Characteristics of Homeless
Point-in-Time Count, January 2020, 2019, 2018

Characteristic/Percentage	City of Los Angeles			All of Los Angeles County‡
Characteristic/Percentage	2020	2019	2018	2020	2019	2018
Veterans	---*	2,197 (6.1%)	2,048 (6.5%)	3,681 (5.8%)	3,879 (6.9%)	3,886 (7.4%)
Chronically Homeless Individuals	---*	10,084 (27.9%)	8,360 (26.7%)	23,075 (36.2%)	15,855 (28.2%)	13,559 (25.7%)
Chronically Homeless Family Members	---*	632 (1.7%)	278 (0.9%)	1,407 (2.2%)	674 (1.2%)	516 (1.0%)
Substance Use Disorder**	---*	4,888 (2%)	4,738 (15.1%)	15,203 (27.0%)	7,829 (13.9%)	7,117 (13.5%)
Persons with HIV/AIDS**	---*	1,221 (3.4%)	588 (1.9%)	1,165 (2.1%)	1,309 (2.3%)	740 (1.4%)
Serious Mental Illness**	---*	12,869 (35.6%)	7,843 (25.1%)	14,125 (25.1%)	13,675 (24.3%)	12,748 (24.2%)
Physical Disability**	---*	6,095 (16.9%)	4,391 (14.0%)	10,833 (19.3%)	9,232 (16.4%)	6,756 (12.8%)
Developmental Disability**	---*	3,089 (8.5%)	1,764 (5.6%)	5,292 (9.4%)	4,370 (7.8%)	2,530 (4.8%)
Domestic Violence Experience**	---*	12,860 (35.6%)	9,088 (29.0%)	18,345 (32.6%)	20,265 (36.0%)	13,374 (25.3%)
Homeless Due to Fleeing Domestic Violence**	---*	1,870 (5.2%)	1,913 (6.1%)	3,884 (6.9%)	3,940 (7.0%)	3,076 (5.8%)

* 2020 counts for these categories not yet released.
‡ All numbers are for all of Los Angeles County, except those under categories Physical Disability, Developmental Disability, and Domestic Violence Experience. Numbers in these categories do not include those for Glendale, Long Beach and Pasadena.
** Percentage is prevalence in homeless population age 18 and over.

The 2020 homeless count by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority found, county-wide, 66 unaccompanied homeless minors (under age 18) (66 in 2019; 63 in 2018) of which 44 were unsheltered (45 in 2019; 28 in 2018). Among homeless transitional age youth (age 18-24), 3,029 were unsheltered (2,134 in 2019; 1,577 in 2018) and 1,005 sheltered (1,511 in 2019; 1,521 in 2018).

Homeless Young People
Point-in-Time Count, January 2020, 2019, 2018

Youth Age Group	City of Los Angeles			All of Los Angeles County†
Youth Age Group	2020	2019	2018	2020	2019	2018
Transitional Age Youth (18-24): Total	---*	1,833	1,573	3,029	2,818	2,274
Transitional Age Youth (18-24): Sheltered	---*	569	576	1,005	931	864
Transitional Age Youth (18-24): Unsheltered	---*	1,237	997	2,075	1,887	1,410

Unaccompanied Minors (Under 18): Total	---*	54	58	69	66	63
Unaccompanied Minors (Under 18): Sheltered	---*	21	31	25	21	35
Unaccompanied Minors (Under 18): Unsheltered	---*	33	27	44	45	28

* 2020 counts for these categories not yet released.
† Numbers do not include those for Glendale, Long Beach and Pasadena.

Homeless in Motor Vehicles***
By Service Planning Areas (SPAs)
Point-in-Time Count, January 2020, 2019, 2018

Service Planning Area	2020		2019		2018
Service Planning Area	Motor Vehicles	People	Motor Vehicles	People	Motor Vehicles	People
Antelope Valley (SPA 1)	950	1,917	731	1,047	706	1,271
San Fernando Valley (SPA 2)†	1,695	3,171	2,037	3,287	1,895	3,292
San Gabriel Valley (SPA 3)†	675	1,241	523	964	563	959
Metro LA (SPA 4)	1,950	3,063	1,579	2,712	1,449	2,474
West LA (SPA 5)	1,055	1,714	987	1,555	790	1,341
South LA (SPA 6)	2,606	4,108	2,049	3,330	1,767	3,057
East LA County (SPA 7)	1,063	1,844	998	1,568	894	1,539
South Bay/ Harbor (SPA 8)†	1,130	1,846	1,077	2,062	1,053	1,816
Total†	11,124	18,904	9,981	16,525	9,117	15,748

† Numbers do not include those for Glendale (SPA 2), Long Beach (SPA 8) and Pasadena (SPA 3).
*** Motor vehicles include cars, vans, motor homes and RVs.

Source: Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority

Also see: Shelter Partnership, Inc. Established in 1985, the organization works throughout Los Angeles County to help bring expertise to develop housing and resources for homeless people.

TAX & BOND REVENUES TO FIGHT HOMELESSNESS:

City of Los Angeles Supportive Housing Proposition (Proposition HHH, $1.2-billion bond, passed November 2016)
County of Los Angeles Homeless Initiative (Measure H, 1/4-cent sales tax increase, passed March 2017).

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.