Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Greater Los Angeles Launches 2026 Point-in-Time Homeless Count Over Three Nights

App-based methods with added support teams aim to produce a more reliable snapshot.

Overview

  • The three-night count runs Jan. 20–22 across most of Los Angeles County, with deployments moving by region and independent counts continuing in Long Beach, Pasadena and Glendale.
  • LAHSA is using an app to log observations in real time, supported by simplified training, improved mapping, extra technical staff and specialized teams for hard-to-reach areas.
  • A USC team will conduct extended surveys in RVs and tents to capture demographics and refine estimates, and LAHSA has updated youth and housing inventory methods to improve accuracy.
  • Volunteers are still being recruited in Los Angeles, Pasadena reports full teams with a waitlist, and San Bernardino County filled 700 slots and added a floating services team for its Jan. 22 one-day count; Riverside County’s next count is in 2027.
  • Last year’s results showed modest declines in Los Angeles County and mixed trends in the Inland Empire, with officials also pointing to immigration enforcement activity and funding uncertainty as challenges; preliminary 2026 results are expected in late spring or early summer.