This month, six of Los Angeles County’s homeless service providers, includingHomeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System (HOPICS),LA Family Housing,the People Concern,PATH Home,St. Joseph’s Center andUnion Station Homeless Services, releaseda new report that warns how cuts from city, county, state and federal budgets could set Los Angeles back when it comes to reducing homelessness.
The report titled “Los Angeles Homelessness Response Stands at a Crossroads” states that the frontline effects of budget cuts are immediate and devastating for both service providers and the thousands of people experiencing homelessness in L.A. County.
Homelessness in L.A. County declined for the second consecutive year, according to results from the2025 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which oversees the annual count, concluded that there were 72,308 people experiencing homelessness countywide – including 43,699 in the City of L.A. That marks a 4% drop across the county and a 3.4% decrease in the city compared to last year’s count.
Ryan J. Smith, president of St. Joseph Center, a homeless service agency that provides a continuum of homeless services and specializes in behavioral health care in South Central L.A., said that despite these great numbers in homelessness decline, service providers worry that without additional investment into homeless services in L.A., the county might actually fall back into higher-than-expected homelessness rates…