Homelessness has increased in L.A., dealing fresh setback to Mayor Karen Bass

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Set us as preferred The number of people living on the street — both in the city of Los Angeles and across much of Los Angeles County — is up compared to the previous year, dealing a fresh blow to Mayor Karen Bass as she runs for reelection.Homelessness went up by 3.4% across the city compared to the previous year, according to two people familiar with the numbers presented by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority in closed-door briefings.L.A.’s unsheltered homeless population — those living outside or in their vehicles — saw an even bigger jump, increasing by 7.9% after two consecutive years of decreases, those sources said.

Both asked to remain unnamed because they were not authorized to publicly discuss LAHSA’s presentation, which focused on the results of this year’s annual point-in-time count conducted in January.The numbers represent a significant setback for Bass, who is seeking a second term in the Nov.3 election and has made the fight against homelessness a central part of her agenda, touting her administration’s progress in moving people indoors.Bass, in a statement, attributed the increases to an array of issues, including funding cuts by the state and federal governments.

She described a lack of adequate county services, such as mental health and substance counseling, as a contributor to the crisis.Even with those obstacles, the city has reduced unsheltered homelessness by double digits since 2023, while also housing more than 1,000 homeless veterans, Bass said.“This crisis was ignored by city leaders for decades, it’s only now that we’ve seen a historic decline,” she said.“I will never stop fighting until we end street homelessness, because no Angeleno should be sleeping on the street.”LAHSA has been briefing city and county officials in the run-up to the public release of the n...