The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) conducts the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count every two years, as part of its mission “to support, create and sustain solutions to homelessness in the City and County of Los Angeles by providing leadership, advocacy, planning and management of program funding.”  LAHSA is a Joint Powers Authority established in 1993 as an independent agency by the County and the City of Los Angeles. LAHSA is the lead agency in the Los Angeles Continuum of Care, coordinates and manages over $70 million dollars annually in Federal, State, County and City funds for programs providing shelter, housing and services to homeless persons in Los Angeles City and County.  

Through LAHSA, funding, program design, outcomes assessment and technical assistance is provided to over 100 non-profit partner agencies who operate within the City and County assisting persons who are homeless achieve independence and stability in permanent housing. Our partner agencies provide a continuum of programs ranging from outreach, access centers, emergency shelters, safe havens, transitional and permanent housing, and prevention along with the necessary supportive services designed to provide the tools and skills required to attain a stable housing environment. 

Every two years, volunteers throughout Los Angeles County mobilize to conduct a count of both sheltered and unsheltered homeless people. Due to Los Angeles County’s size and population, the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count is the largest in the nation. Homeless counts are “Point-In-Time” counts over a designated period of time. The 2011 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count took place January 25th – 27th. Data from the count is critical to addressing the complexities of homelessness and planning how to best invest public resources, raise public awareness, identify the needs of homeless people and improve service delivery opportunities to prevent and eliminate homelessness in our region. 

The 2011 Homeless Count found an estimated 45,422 people without a place to call home. With the inclusion of data from the cities of Glendale, Pasadena and Long Beach (these cities conduct their own homeless count) there were an estimated 51,340 homeless people in Los Angeles County on any given night.