Greater LA Homeless Count Starts Over Three Nights of Community Efforts in 2026

Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count Underway

LOS ANGELES – The annual Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count has commenced, with hundreds of volunteers actively surveying the region’s unhoused population over the next three nights. This effort is managed by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and aims to provide an updated snapshot of homelessness across most of Los Angeles County.

Beginning Tuesday evening, volunteers started their work in the San Fernando Valley and metro Los Angeles. The count employs a new data collection app, streamlined volunteer training, and professional teams to assess areas that are hard to reach or potentially hazardous.

"This operation serves as a critical tool for understanding local homelessness issues and directing future resources," stated a LAHSA representative. The count is expected to conclude on Thursday; however, the official results will not be available until late spring or early summer.

The three-night initiative features a structured rollout:

• Tuesday: Counting in the San Fernando Valley and metro Los Angeles
• Wednesday: Volunteers will cover the San Gabriel Valley and East Los Angeles
• Thursday: The count will wrap up in the Antelope Valley, West Los Angeles, South Los Angeles, and the South Bay/Harbor region

Notably, the cities of Long Beach, Pasadena, and Glendale are conducting their own independent counts and are not included in LAHSA’s data.

To enhance the safety of participants, staff from the county’s Department of Health Services and the Emergency Centralized Response Center will assist in monitoring areas identified as requiring "special consideration," such as basins, creeks, and deserts.

In preparation for this year’s count, LAHSA has made significant improvements to ensure a more efficient process. This includes updates to volunteer training, enhanced technical support at deployment sites, and a more comprehensive approach to the housing inventory and youth counts. Specifically, the youth count, focusing on individuals aged 10 to 19, will now take place over nine additional days to improve data quality.

Following the conclusion of this count, the focus will shift to data validation and review, with plans to release the findings to the public later this year. This information will play a key role in shaping regional policies regarding housing and homelessness.