LAHSA delays release of 2026 homeless count results
LAHSA delays release of 2026 homeless count results
LAHSA has not yet released Los Angeles County’s 2026 homeless count results nearly six months after the annual Point-in-Time Count, despite saying they should be available soon.
LOS ANGELES - The wait continues for Los Angeles County’s latest homeless count numbers, with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) still not releasing the results nearly six months after thousands of volunteers took to the streets for the annual Point-in-Time Count.
The count, conducted over three nights in January, is used to estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness across Los Angeles County and helps determine funding and policy decisions.
LAHSA’s results were expected to be released in late spring or early summer, according to the agency’s website. But as of Wednesday, the numbers have not been made public.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she is also waiting for the results.
"When are we going to get those numbers?" FOX 11 asked Bass on Tuesday.
"You will have to contact LAHSA, but I believe it’s very soon. So, I’m anxious for them too," Bass said.
FOX 11 contacted LAHSA, which also said the results should be available "soon."
Bass said she is concerned the numbers could show an increase in homelessness following major funding cuts and changes to the region’s homelessness response system.
"I’m definitely concerned," Bass said. "We’ve been concerned over the last year that the numbers might go up because of the cuts we have experienced and other changes."
LAHSA Interim CEO Gita O’Neill raised similar concerns during the January count, warning that reductions in funding could impact efforts to prevent and reduce homelessness.
"When proven solutions lose funding, homelessness doesn’t stay flat — it may rise," O’Neill said during the count.
Since the survey was conducted, Los Angeles County has redirected hundreds of millions of dollars away from LAHSA amid concerns about the agency’s financial management.
Last month, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development suspended LAHSA from receiving federal funding, citing what it described as a "record of fraud, failure, and flagrant mismanagement" and alleging the misuse of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.
O’Neill defended the agency’s efforts to address those concerns.
"We have an interim internal audit committee at LAHSA," O’Neill said in January. "We’re really trying to be good stewards of people’s money."
The delayed release comes as city leaders debate the future of LAHSA and how homelessness services should be managed.
Councilmember Nithya Raman, who was at the January count before launching her mayoral campaign, said additional funding and accountability are both needed.
"We are doing more here to hold the system accountable, but we can’t do it if you pull your dollars away," Raman said during January’s count.
In a statement Wednesday, Raman said the eventual homeless count numbers will not change her concerns about LAHSA’s performance.
"Whether the numbers go up or down — and we’ll find that out soon — LAHSA has proven unable to deliver the performance oversight, responsiveness, and accountability that this city deserves for the investment that taxpayers have been paying," Raman said.
Several other California counties and cities have already released their 2026 homeless count results, including Ventura, Orange and Sacramento counties, as well as San Francisco.