By Thomas Lee, First Place for Youth CEO 

Progress Worth Celebrating—With Important Caveats 

For the second year in a row, Los Angeles County has witnessed encouraging declines in homelessness. Most notably, unsheltered homelessness has dropped by an impressive 14% in Los Angeles County since 2023, and 17.5% within the city limits. That means thousands fewer individuals are living on the streets, and more people are finding safety and stability through shelter and support programs. 

These reductions have real meaning: fewer tents and street encampments, more families reunited, and neighborhoods starting to heal. City officials and service agencies credit this trend to urgent action—moving people off the streets, expanding access to interim housing, and investing billions in solutions that work. 

However, questions have emerged about the accuracy of the data behind these encouraging numbers. Recent analysis by LAist found that the 2024 homeless count was complicated by policy changes, shifting guidelines, and technical problems, with significantly more volunteer observations excluded from the final count than in previous years—particularly within Los Angeles city limits. While these methodological concerns deserve attention, they don’t negate the importance of continuing evidence-based efforts to address homelessness. The crisis remains urgent: more than 72,000 people still lack a stable home in L.A. County. 

Why Programs Like First Place for Youth Matter 

Among the most impactful strategies are targeted programs that prevent young people from ever becoming chronically unsheltered. First Place stands out as a leader in serving transition-age foster youth—one of the demographics most at risk of homelessness when they age out of the foster care system. As an upstream intervention, First Place cuts the pipeline to homelessness before young people become part of the street count. 

Here’s why investing in youth-focused interventions is crucial: 

• Stopping Cycles Early: Youths aging out of foster care are at high risk for becoming homeless during the transition to adulthood. Between 31% and 46% of our study participants had been homeless at least once by age 26 years. Preventing even a single young person from falling through the cracks can change a life trajectory—and reduce the future burden on shelter systems. 
• Comprehensive Solutions: First Place doesn’t just provide housing; it delivers education, job training, and mental health support that sets up young adults to thrive independently. 
• Community Impact: Every success story—every youth stably housed and employed—is a step toward safer, healthier communities across Los Angeles and beyond. 

Momentum Is Fragile: Why Continued Support Is Critical 

As the recent news coverage makes clear, this downturn in unsheltered homelessness—whether the exact numbers are fully accurate or not—represents the result of coordinated effort, resources, and public resolve. Yet multiple voices caution that progress can quickly reverse: 

• Funding Risks: Recent and proposed cuts to federal, state, and county funding may put current gains at risk. Service providers warn that without renewed investment, the pace of moving people to permanent housing will slow—and more youth could wind up back on the streets. 
• Rising Costs and Housing Shortages: Los Angeles still faces a massive shortage of affordable homes. Unless the pipeline of transitional and permanent housing continues to expand, thousands may remain vulnerable to homelessness, despite recent progress. 
• Policy Shifts: Newly aggressive tactics to break up encampments must be matched with adequate resources for shelter and services, or risk pushing people into even more precarious situations. 

What You Can Do 

Sustaining and building on these achievements takes a community commitment: 

• Advocate for Sustained Funding: Let your local and state representatives know that programs like First Place for Youth are essential and should not be subject to budget cuts. 
• Volunteer or Donate: Nonprofits rely on donations and community volunteers to deliver life-changing support.  
• Share Success Stories: The more the public understands what works, the stronger the case for evidence-based investment. 

Looking Forward 

The reported decline in unsheltered homelessness—even amid questions about data accuracy—demonstrates that coordinated efforts can make a difference. By ensuring that young people and the most vulnerable have the support they need, programs like First Place not only help to prevent future homelessness but create hope and new possibilities—one life at a time. 

Together, we can keep the momentum and drive the next wave of positive change. 

 
Sources: 

• https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/14/los-angeles-county-homelessness-report 

• https://abc7.com/post/number-homeless-people-los-angeles-city-county-drops-2nd-year-row-data-finds/17121002/ 

• https://lbpost.com/news/homelessness-declines-in-greater-la-bucking-the-increase-seen-in-long-beach/ 

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3969135/ 

• https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/los-angeles-homeless-count-2024-accuracy-questions 

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