Skid Row homeless crisis deepens as encampments grow under Democratic Socialist rules

Skid Row is buckling again, and the new numbers strike at the heart of Los Angeles’ biggest political promise.New homeless count figures show Skid Row’s homeless population surged 23% in just one year, adding 907 more people.According to the 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, 4,892 people were living in Skid Row this year, up from 3,985 in 2025. The increase ranks among the largest anywhere in Los Angeles, and marks a major setback in the neighborhood that has long been the epicenter of the city’s homelessness crisis.For longtime Skid Row resident and U.S.

Marine veteran Don Garza, the numbers simply confirm what he has witnessed every day.Garza said many Angelenos believe homelessness is improving because repeated encampment sweeps have removed tents from sidewalks.“The city turns around and says, ‘Look, there’s no tents,'” Garza said.“‘So we cleaned everything up,’ and everybody buys it.”“But it’s still homelessness.”Garza said Skid Row remains the center of the region’s homelessness system, drawing people every day for meals, outreach, medical care and other services before many disperse into neighborhoods across Los Angeles.“They come here, they get whatever they can.

Then, before it gets dark, they all scatter out across the city,” Garza said.The investment has been substantial.Los Angeles recently increased funding for Skid Row housing operations to $11.3 million through state homelessness grants, while the county’s $280 million Skid Row Action Plan is expanding housing, behavioral health services and a new care campus in the neighborhood. Multiple city-funded outreach teams are also assigned exclusively to Skid Row to connect people with shelter, housing and treatment services.The increase comes about 18 months after Councilmember Ysabel Jurado took office representing Downtown Los Angeles, including Skid Row.Backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, Jurado campaigned on expanding affordable housing, prevent...