LA County homeless numbers up but many more went to shelters

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The number of homeless people counted in Los Angeles County is up this year, but at a much slower pace than previously. And many more people left the streets for shelters. That’s according to the results of federally required tally announced Thursday. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority says there were about 69,000 people homeless on any given night in the county — a 4.1% hike from 2020. But that compares with a nearly 26% hike between 2018 and 2020. The new figure comes from a three-day count taken in February. It’s the first tally since 2020. No count was taken last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.