Homeless count returns this month; Volunteers to fan out Jan. 20, 21, and 22
UNHOUSED PEOPLE need support from the community to make it a temporary situation, and not a permanent one.
Volunteers will fan out once again across Los Angeles County over three nights this month to count Angelenos who are living in tents, sleeping in cars or are otherwise homeless.
The 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count will take place Tue., Jan. 20; Wed., Jan. 21; and Thu., Jan. 22, by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and is a joint city-county effort.
The point-in-time count includes a visual tally conducted by thousands of volunteers who will travel in teams from some 150 deployment sites scattered throughout the county.
Locally, on Jan. 20 at 8 p.m., they will embark from Immanuel Presbyterian Church, 3300 Wilshire Blvd.; The Hollywood Partnership, 6000 Hollywood Blvd.; and Clinica Romero, 2969 Wilshire Blvd.
San Gabriel Valley and East Los Angeles will be covered on Jan. 21, and West Los Angeles, the South Bay, and other areas are visited Jan. 22.
The count seeks to find people who have been pushed into the streets, many from a combination of high rents and low wages, among other factors. (A renter needs to earn $48 an hour to afford the median monthly rent in Los Angeles, see count.lahsa.org).
Data collected will be combined with information raised from sheltered and youth counts. The final estimate is expected to be released in the spring. The data is used to deliver services where they are needed most, according to the LAHSA website.
Last year, 72,308 people were found to be homeless in the Greater Los Angeles area, a 4% decrease from the previous year.
However, a later analysis by Rand, a nonprofit research institute, found that a third of those sleeping in tents or vehicles in Hollywood, Venice, and Skid Row were not counted.
“While LAHSA appreciates and values the Rand study as a helpful tool to help understand homelessness, the two studies are different and have disparate methods for observing homelessness. However, it’s important to note that both Rand and the LAHSA counts are showing point-in-time homelessness trending down. This is a significant trend,” said Ahmad Chapman, LAHSA director of communications.
LAHSA’s Homeless Count illustrates the state of homelessness across all of Los Angeles at a single point in time. By comparison, Rand’s study tracked three neighborhoods with high concentrations of people experiencing homelessness over the course of a year. Unlike the volunteer-led three-night Homeless Count, Rand’s study spans years and uses professional canvassers.
“LAHSA met with Rand last month to begin discussing why some of these differences may have arisen,” Chapma continued. “As we move forward, we plan to review questions such as the precise geographic boundaries of the neighborhoods and whether differences in counting practices could be affecting these two data collection efforts. In 2026, LAHSA will introduce several enhancements to strengthen data quality, improve coordination, and make the volunteer experience smoother.”
To register, to volunteer, or for more information visit count.lahsa.org.
What’s new in 2026?
COMPLEX ISSUES including economic hardship, job loss, and healthcare crises can contribute to an individual’s housing status.
Improvements in staffing support, volunteer recruitment, and training are featured in the 2026 Count. LAHSA will partner with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and the Emergency Centralized Response Center to help reach hard-to-access areas.
Training materials have been simplified to ensure consistency across all regions, and new mock site tests will help volunteers and coordinators prepare before Count night, Chapman said.
Category: News
