LAHSA corrected its 2025 homeless count after HUD found reporting errors
After HUD reviewed its data, LAHSA finalized the 2025 count on October 20 and updated the release November 4. The final county estimate was 72,195, down 113 from the July preliminary total, with corrections to site reporting and omitted Winnetka data.
Period covered: 2025-10-20; updated November 4
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The final county estimate was 72,195
On October 20, 2025, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) finalized its 2025 homeless-count results after a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development review; the release was updated November 4. The final Los Angeles County estimate was 72,195, down 113 from the July preliminary estimate of 72,308. The final county count included 24,745 sheltered and 47,450 unsheltered people. [1]
LAHSA also reported 43,695 people for the City of Los Angeles and 67,777 for the Los Angeles Continuum of Care (LA CoC). The LA CoC figure covers that Continuum of Care, not the whole county. The July preliminary and October final totals refer to different stages of the same count cycle. [1]
These are revisions within the same count cycle, not a measured population decline between July and October. LAHSA said the revisions were within the margins of error.
LACEHH original graphic · Sources: Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
HUD review led to site revisions
LAHSA said HUD’s review found duplication and irregular utilization in site reporting. Two interim housing sites in the Long Beach Continuum of Care had been included in LA CoC sheltered-count data. LAHSA attributed this to Long Beach’s use of its Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to record people within its borders, alongside the use of HMIS data in the unsheltered count. Those two sites were removed from the LA CoC count. Eight other sites were removed at HUD’s request because of irregular utilization rates. [1]
The revisions followed a review of count data and site reporting. LAHSA reported the errors and corrections; the release does not characterize them as intentional misconduct. [1]
Winnetka data added to county estimate
The countywide unsheltered estimate increased by 37, from 47,413 to 47,450, after LAHSA added data from Winnetka. The agency said it had used an outdated file when combining data from the county’s four Continuums of Care, omitting Winnetka unsheltered data from the county result. LAHSA said the Winnetka figures were already included in the City of Los Angeles and LA CoC estimates announced in July, so this correction affected the countywide total. [1]
The sheltered county estimate fell from 24,895 to 24,745. LAHSA said its data partner, the University of Southern California, had inadvertently omitted start and end dates for some interim housing programs, prompting revisions to demographic subgroups. The largest reported increases included 162 people in the sheltered count of people experiencing chronic homelessness and 137 in the count of people with serious mental illness. LAHSA said the subgroup revisions remained within their original margins of error. [1]
Corrections remained within reported margins of error
LAHSA said the revisions were within the margins of error of the results announced in July and statistically insignificant. The final countywide total was lower than the preliminary figure, while the county unsheltered estimate was slightly higher. [1]
LAHSA also released a Local Jurisdiction Count file using contemporaneous administrative records, scattered-site shelter data and other adjustments. The county said it would use that dataset to determine Measure A Local Solutions Fund allocations. A later, separate release on July 24, 2026, reported results from the next point-in-time count cycle. [1] [2]
Sources & further reading
- LAHSA Releases Finalized 2025 Homeless Count Results After HUD ReviewLos Angeles Homeless Services Authority · 2025; finalized after HUD review
- 2026 Homeless Count Reveals Bottleneck Stymied ProgressLos Angeles Homeless Services Authority · 2026-07-24; updated July 27
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