Homeless encampments have been markedly decreased in Hollywood and Venice final 12 months, however the variety of individuals sleeping “tough” with no tent, automobile or makeshift shelter held regular, elevating the probability that the features can be tougher to maintain sooner or later, a brand new Rand report concluded.
The whole variety of unsheltered homeless individuals was down 15% total within the three areas Rand research, the primary lower for the reason that undertaking started in 2021. However the declines — 49% in Hollywood and 22% in Venice have been partially offset by a 9% improve in Skid Row.
The report authors pointed to a possible optimistic impact of public insurance policies which have elevated everlasting and interim housing, significantly Mayor Karen Bass’ Inside Secure program, however discovered that these left behind pose a better problem.
“Tough” sleeping represented about 40% of the whole unsheltered inhabitants within the rely, taken in December 2024.
“Tent dwelling is not the everyday modality of homeless life in Los Angeles,” mentioned lead writer Louis Abramson.
“We’re seeing this image the place there does appear to be actual progress in bringing individuals off the road however the people who find themselves nonetheless on the road are probably the most weak,” Abramson mentioned. “The acuity indicators should not trending in the identical approach because the numbers. Folks’s stage of well being, nicely being and connectivity shouldn’t be bettering and is in some methods deteriorating.”
The report is the third launched yearly by the Los Angeles Longitudinal Enumeration and Demographic Survey (LA LEADS), performed by Rand’s Middle on Housing and Homelessness.
The findings are in line with preliminary outcomes for the 2025 point-in-time rely launched in March by the Los Angeles Homeless Companies Authority. Primarily based on uncooked counts, the company projected a countywide decline of between 5% and 10% in unsheltered homelessness.
LAHSA introduced Monday that it’s going to launch its ultimate outcomes of the rely July 14.
Rand’s report represents a extra intensive examination of three areas thought-about homelessness scorching spots. Researchers return each two months to trace adjustments over time. They rely particular person tents, automobiles, makeshift shelters and folks sleeping unsheltered. Utilizing a strategy just like LAHSA’s, they estimate the variety of individuals occupying every kind of shelter to calculate complete populations.
The report discovered “good motive” to hyperlink Hollywood’s dramatic decline to a collection of Inside Secure operations performed there final 12 months, however the file was much less clear in Venice, which additionally noticed a decline with out having any main Inside Secure operations. The results of enforcement underneath the town’s part 41.18 anti-camping ordinance have been much less clear. The report discovered that an estimated 12% of Skid Row’s unsheltered inhabitants had been cited underneath the ordinance but the world’s homeless inhabitants elevated.
“Thus, crediting adjustments in unsheltered homelessness to particular packages—or understanding the connection of these adjustments to new inflows of individuals—requires extra examine,” the authors wrote.
One other consider Hollywood’s dramatic enchancment could possibly be the efforts of a Los Angeles County Division of Psychological Well being pilot undertaking referred to as Hollywood 2.0, which helped deliver county psychological well being companies to the world, coordinated outreach and was a power behind the opening of two new housing tasks, a 50-bed interim shelter and 90-bed board and care dwelling.
“I believe Hollywood 2.0 was a powerful contributor to the lower in usheltered homelessnes,” mentioned Brittney Weissman. government director of Hollywood 4WRD, a nonprofit that conducts group engagement for the undertaking.
A demographic survey accompanying the rely discovered disconcerting developments associated to the expansion of “tough” sleeping. Respondents reported staying in the identical location for shorter quantities. That discovering was in line with “will increase in sanitation and different encampment decision efforts—most typical in Hollywood—that both transfer unsheltered individuals indoors or periodically displace them, leaving a extra transient, cellular, and dynamic inhabitants,” the report mentioned.
Total, 91% of respondents in all three areas expressed curiosity in being housed, however solely 38% reported being on a wait listing. Solely 13% reported being provided supportive housing, whereas 39% have been provided group shelter. Fewer than 50% accepted.
Folks ages 62 and older and people incomes lower than $99 monthly have been considerably much less prone to be trying to find housing than youthful individuals or these with larger incomes.
The report highlighted variations between the three areas.
These in Venice reported barely larger ranges of schooling charges of Social Safety and incapacity advantages and revenue, and have been extra prone to be employed.
Skid Row’s unsheltered inhabitants skews older and extra feminine and Black in comparison with the opposite areas. They reported being much less prone to be working, extra prone to report psychological well being, bodily well being, and substance use issues, extra prone to keep in the identical location for 3 years or longer and fewer prone to be pressured to maneuver by legislation enforcement or housed residents. Of the remaining tent encampments, 80% have been in Skid Row.
The authors made two suggestions: To maintain the optimistic pattern, policymakers ought to proceed to prioritize and streamline the creation of everlasting housing. And, they want new methods for the altering demographics.
The pattern to tough sleeping will possible additional pressure service suppliers and outreach groups as their purchasers turn into extra cellular and weak, and encampment-based housing initiatives will turn into much less efficient.
Although tough sleeping remained regular final 12 months, it had inched upward over the three years of the examine.
“There are methods which are bringing individuals efficiently off the road,” Abramson mentioned. “However for these different populations it seems to be like we’re going to have to develop particular methods that aren’t in our toolkit proper now.”
