LA County starts homeless count following wildfire delay
After a month-long delay due to the wildfires, Los Angeles County volunteers took to the streets Tuesday night for the annual homeless count.
When LA County conducted its survey last year, the homeless crisis was the city and county's top priority. However, last month's disaster has added pressure on Mayor Karen Bass and her county colleagues to show progress in reducing the homeless population after the criticism local leaders faced over the wildfire response.
"How many balls can you juggle in the air at the same time?" long-time LA County politician Zev Yaroslavsky said. "I think she will be judged as all of the elected officials will be judged — at the county, at the city, at the state — by the results."
According to the LA County Homeless Services Authority, in 2024 there were 75,312 homeless residents on county streets, including LA City, a 0.3% decrease compared with the previous year. In the city, the number was 45,252 about 2.2% lower than in 2023.
"The sad part is that all of this perfect storm has hit, the fire and the destruction," Yaroslavsky said. "The homeless issue, she's made some progress — she and the City Council have actually put a dent in street homelessness ... The issue is to show some momentum and some confidence and competence in the way these issues are being handled."
Mark Hood, CEO of the Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row, credits Bass for making inroads into the homeless crisis but says treatment programs need increased priority for momentum to continue.
"If you people that are in an addicted state or they are having mental health issues, they have trauma in their life and all you do is move them from a sidewalk to a hotel room, you really didn't address the issue while they were there to begin with," Hood said.
City and county leaders are under pressure to show results. Billions of dollars have been spent with state auditors saying they can't track where the money is going. Some count leaders are also calling for LAHSA to be dismantled.
