Once again, the news from the annual tally of the Los Angeles County homeless population is grim. Based on the three-night point-in-time count conducted in January, the number of homeless people in Los Angeles rose by 10% to 46,260 this year from 41,980 in 2022. The overall number in Los Angeles County went up 9% to 75,518 from 69,144. The majority are unsheltered, living outside, often in tents or vehicles.
Especially alarming is the 18% jump from 2022 in the number of chronically homeless people in the county (excluding Pasadena, Long Beach and Glendale, which report separately.) These are the most vulnerable individuals in the homeless population — the ones who have been unhoused for at least a year and struggle with a mental health issue, a substance use disorder, a physical disability or a combination of these problems. The homeless population is also getting older, and that means chronically homeless people are probably struggling with age-related health conditions. Last year, there were an estimated 4,244 homeless adults 65 or older. This year there are about 4,725 in that age group.
What happened? The January 2022 homeless numbers increased a modest 4% from 2021 in the county, and barely at all in the city — perhaps a result of an infusion of COVID-era federal rental subsidies and evictions being put on hold during 2021.
