The Los Angeles region usually knows by the end of June whether homelessness went up or down. <\/p>\n
Not this year, as L.A.\u2019s lead homelessness agency is first waiting for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to validate the region\u2019s annual homeless count data before releasing it publicly. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s unclear when the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority plans to publish the 2026 results. <\/p>\n
Last week, LAHSA officials said it was possible the release wouldn\u2019t happen at all this year because HUD suspended it from federal grant activity.<\/p>\n
Learn the ins and outs behind L.A.’s housing crisis.<\/p>\n
Sign up for Building Your Block, a seven-issue newsletter course from LAist that explains the obstacles around housing development in L.A. and what you can do to make things better.<\/p>\n
This week, after a federal judge intervened, a LAHSA spokesperson told LAist the agency expects to announce the release date for the 2026 homeless count numbers in the \u201cnear future.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral factors can influence the announcement date, including the validation process with HUD,\u201d LAHSA spokesperson Ahmad Chapman said.<\/p>\n
LAHSA officials said they first submitted its homeless count data to HUD for quality analysis on April 30. HUD does not require these reviews to be completed before regions publish their data. But after last year\u2019s HUD review found errors, LAHSA opted to wait \u201cto ensure total data integrity,\u201d said interim CEO Gita O\u2019Neill<\/p>\n
Suspended, then unsuspended<\/p>\n
On June 11, while that review was taking place, HUD suspended<\/a> LAHSA from federal grant activity, pending an investigation into alleged mismanagement. <\/p>\n LAHSA then filed a lawsuit challenging<\/a> the suspension and a separate petition for relief. The agency mentioned in its June 29 lawsuit that it was still in the process of reviewing 2026 homeless count data with a technical assistance provider contracted by HUD. <\/p>\n \u201cIf the proposed HUD suspension takes effect, LAHSA likely will not be able to complete its 2026 PIT Count process,\u201d LAHSA\u2019s legal complaint states. \u201cShould that occur, HUD would not have an accurate count for the Los Angeles area.\u201d <\/p>\n U.S. District Judge David O. Carter issued a legal order pausing HUD\u2019s effort to suspend LAHSA pending an Aug. 6 court date. <\/p>\n LAHSA officials said that ruling means the agency can continue drawing down funding from HUD, signing funding agreements with the housing agency, and participating in other federal activities.<\/p>\n HUD said no action it has taken in any way prevents LAHSA from publishing its own homeless count data, according to a spokesperson. <\/p>\n But HUD\u2019s suspension put the troubled agency\u2019s responsibilities and funding in limbo, and experts said it\u2019s possible the suspension could delay the release of L.A.\u2019s homeless count. <\/p>\n \u201cGiven the unprecedented nature of the HUD suspension and LAHSA’s subsequent lawsuit, I imagine the staff capacity over there is somewhat limited to make it all happen,\u201d said Alex Visotzky, senior California policy fellow with the National Alliance to End Homelessness. <\/p>\n Why the count matters<\/p>\n HUD mandates the homeless counts across the country to help determine priorities for hundreds of millions in federal funds to address homelessness. <\/p>\n L.A.\u2019s annual count has become increasingly consequential and controversial in L.A. County, which is home to the largest unhoused population in the U.S., estimated at more than 72,000 in 2025. <\/p>\n Last year\u2019s count found homelessness had dropped for two years in a row, and was down 4% in L.A. County and 3.4% in the city of L.A. from the year before. <\/p>\n Those declines are a major talking point in L.A. Mayor Karen Bass\u2019 reelection campaign. The region\u2019s homelessness system has since experienced major shifts in funding, making this year\u2019s results even more anticipated.<\/p>\n Past counts<\/p>\n From 2016 to 2020, LAHSA published its annual unhoused point-in-time count results in May or early June. The count was canceled in 2021. In 2022, they were released Sept. 8. Then back to June release dates in 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n Last year, in an unprecedented move, LAHSA released early preliminary results <\/a>in March 2025. It was a month after the count wrapped and just before L.A. County leaders voted to divert more than $300 million from the agency into its own new homelessness department.<\/p>\n