Homelessness Counts in Los Angeles and San Diego Demonstrate Potential of Varied Housing Solutions

At the end of December, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report: Part 1: Point-in-Time Estimates, which provides an annual snapshot of individuals in shelters, temporary housing, and unsheltered settings across the US. The report found that more than 770,000 people experienced homelessness on a single night in January 2024, an 18% increase from 2023, which underscores the severity of the country’s housing and homelessness crisis.

Despite such dire national results, the Los Angeles and San Diego Continuums of Care (CoC) demonstrated promising results. In LA, overall homelessness decreased slightly, by 0.2%, driven by a 5.3% decrease in unsheltered homelessness, demonstrating the potential of Mayor Karen Bass’s Inside Safe initiative, which aims to provide interim and permanent shelter to encampment residents. Meanwhile, San Diego’s November 2024 homelessness count was the first month that the number of homeless residents receiving housing outpaced those who lost a place to stay, an encouraging sign in light of the CoC’s strained shelter system.

While more clearly needs to be done, these results demonstrate the potential of varied housing solutions, both permanent and interim, in addressing the housing and homelessness crisis. The LeSar family of firms will continue to support localities as they explore and implement these options.