City crews cleared trash and debris on Jan. 21 from the sidewalk in front of a vacant building on Wilshire Boulevard just west of Fairfax Avenue where people have been staying in tents. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The 2026 Homeless Count got underway in the Greater Wilshire and Hancock Park areas on Jan. 20 with approximately 40 volunteers fanning out in neighborhoods to count people living on the streets, in tents and vehicles.

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority conducts the count each year with the assistance of residents and volunteers. The Homeless Count is required by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and provides essential data that determines how federal, state and local funding are distributed for housing, shelter, outreach and services.

The Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council partnered with LAHSA to count people in an area between La Brea and Western avenues, and Melrose/Willoughby Avenue to Olympic Boulevard. The neighborhoods included Hancock Park, Larchmont Village, Windsor Square, Wilshire Center and Koreatown. Approximately 30 volunteers gathered at Immanuel Presbyterian Church on Wilshire Boulevard on Jan. 20 and headed out around 8:30 p.m. The following morning, Dan Sterling, homelessness liaison for the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council, said the count went off without a hitch.

“We had about 80 sightings of one sort or another that were reported. People in general did not come back saying they saw horrifying numbers. It seemed like a low general count, although some [volunteers] did say they were in affluent areas so they didn’t see a lot. Altogether, it was a success,” Sterling said. “I was most struck by the neighbors who turned out and worked together, many of whom were strangers that didn’t know each other, and expressed an interest in finding some way to help.”

“It’s my second time doing it,” said John Gresham, a Wilshire Park resident and vice president of the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council. “I’m doing it because it’s important. The count has a lot to do with funding and assessing needs in the city.”

“I’ve been doing it for about 10 years,” Koreatown resident Micky Hohl added. “I’m curious myself to see if there will be less (unsheltered) people than last year.  In my non-professional, non-scientific opinion, I think I have seen less people in general around, but then I see other areas where there are a lot. I guess it just depends on what street you are on.”

The 2026 Homeless Count is held over three days from Jan. 20-22. The count was held in the L.A. metro area, Hollywood, Downtown L.A. and the San Fernando Valley on Jan. 20, and in East L.A. and the San Gabriel Valley on Jan. 21. The count on Jan. 22 covers West L.A., including Beverly Hills,  as well as South L.A. and the Antelope Valley.

LAHSA leaders held a press conference ahead of the count to share information about the effort. The count was conducted this year as the county of Los Angeles is working to establish its own Department of Homelessness and Housing. The city of L.A. is also exploring whether it is feasible to create its own department to address homelessness. Despite those changes, LAHSA will continue to interface with HUD and federal agencies, will continue to hold the count and will work with the county to address homelessness.

“This year’s Homeless Count comes at a pivotal moment for our region,” LAHSA Interim CEO Gita O’Neill said. “Across Los Angeles, the homeless services system is undergoing major changes, from funding shifts and program transitions to the way outreach, shelter and housing are delivered. Those changes, combined with ongoing economic pressures, may put the progress we’ve made over the last couple of years at risk. That’s why, at this moment, what matters most is that we get an accurate picture of what our neighbors are experiencing so we can respond with urgency, honesty and the right resources in the right places.”

LAHSA and the city of Los Angeles have also been working together in the Miracle Mile area to address homelessness. At a site on Wilshire Boulevard west of Fairfax Avenue where tents had recently popped up outside a vacant former 99 Cents Only Store, the city held a CARE+ cleanup on Jan. 21. It is the second time a CARE+ cleanup was conducted at the site within the last two months. CARE+ cleanups involve tents being removed for sidewalk cleaning and debris removal, but the tents are allowed to come back afterward. Outreach by LAHSA at the site will continue if tents return.

LAHSA plans to analyze data from the Homeless Count over the coming months, and the results are expected to be released in June. In 2025, the count determined more than 72,000 people were experiencing homelessness countywide – a 4% decrease from the previous year.