2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count

From JK: This year I volunteered for the 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. I wanted to learn more about the processes that inform the work we do on supportive and transitional housing projects. I was assigned to my neighborhood. On the evening of January 20th, with two other volunteers and a GIS-based tracking app, three of us drove up and down a mile-square of streets that I know well, but this time counting unhoused persons, families, vans housing people, and temporary shelters and tents. Sobering. Much of what we recorded is either missed or too easily looked over in everyday routines. One of my counting colleagues assured me we were seeing fewer unhoused people, makeshift shelters, and despair than past counts. And this supports evidence that the City and County's cumulative efforts are making a difference. But this is only incremental progress and what we saw with one night's snapshot reminds us that there is a lot of work still to do. I encourage all to volunteer for this event next year which establishes a key baseline for all the outreach, programs, and projects that tackle this challenge on a daily basis.

Image Credit: LA Homeless Services