Accuracy of Los Angeles’ 2022 Homeless Count Being Questioned

LA City Council motion would require that LAHSA’s count be assessed independently 

By Dolores Quintana and Sam Catanzaro

After the release of the Homeless Count numbers by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA earlier this month), the accuracy of the count is being questioned by some officials. LA City Council President Nury Martinez last week filed a motion that was seconded by Council members Paul Krekorian and Kevin de Leon. The motion would require that LAHSA’s count be assessed independently and that then a report is to be produced that details the assessment and third-party options to conduct an independent count of the unhoused in Los Angeles. 

According to the 2022 results released earlier this month, countywide, the homeless population increased by 4.1 percent, showing that an estimated 69,144 people were experiencing homelessness in LA County at that time of the count this winter. For the City of Los Angeles, the homeless population increased by 1.7 percent, a total of 13,522 people. Council District 11 (which includes Venice) saw a 38.5 percent decrease in homelessness (2,012 total persons), while Venice itself saw a 50 percent decrease (981 total persons). 

Some in Venice, however, claim that LAHSA’s count is inaccurate, specifically the part of the count that said that there were no unhoused people, tents or RVs in the northwest corner of the city of Venice. This area of Venice was referred to in recent Los Angeles Times article as a “notorious ground zero for the homeless.” 

Venice volunteer for the count Christopher LeGras estimates the number of missing people in the Venice count is in the hundreds. LeGras–who is a staff member on the campaign of Council District 11 Candidate Traci Park–volunteered in the count in January. He wrote in a blog post saying that the mobile application for volunteers to record a tally crashed while counters were in the field. He still recorded a count finding 297 people in the tract he was assigned to and texted the results to LAHSA. When the results were released two weeks ago, it showed 77 people in that tract, a discrepancy of 173. 

Councilmember de León also questioned the new count’s results showing that there were 231 less sheltered people in his Northeast district than in 2020, yet there were also 1,818 more individuals on the street. This is despite the fact that de León opened two shelters in his district between the two counts. 

Another lawmaker raising objecting to the results is Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who told the Times he was mystified by the 60 percent increase in unsheltered people recorded in the west portion of his San Fernando Valley district, even though over than 200 people got off the street into shelter.

“I go out in our community for homeless outreach at least once a month, and my staff is on the streets everyday,” Blumenfield told the Times. “The increase of people who are unsheltered per the LAHSA Count does not reflect the reality that we see. More transparency over this process would be incredibly welcomed because we are simply not getting answers that add up.”

CD 11 candidate Park herself has also voiced doubts about LAHSA’s count, saying in a Facebook post, “I join Councilmembers Martinez, Krekorian, and de Leon in asking for an audit of the LAHSA PIT count. If we don’t have reliable data, we can’t make good policy decisions. A single yearly “guesstimate” won’t end encampments.”

When reached for comment, Parks’ opponent in the race Erin Darling issued a statement saying he supports of a review of the count’s methodology. 

“I support a review of the Count’s methodology in the interest of bolstering public trust in its conclusions,” Darling said. “With that said, the effort to verify this year’s Homeless Count numbers must be done for the purposes of building trust and informing policy, and not for crying ‘fake news!’ about politically inconvenient data.”

LAHSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The agency did issue a statement to the Los Angeles Times defending the count results. 

“During the Count, we received several reports of user and technological errors resulting from a lack of training and poor internet connectivity,” said Ahmad Chapman, LAHSA’s communications director, in the statement. “Despite these errors, we are confident in the accuracy of this year’s homeless Count because LAHSA and its partners took several steps to account for what was happening in the field.”

in News
Related Posts

Santa Monica Council Votes in Support of Park-Centric Future at Airport Site

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The decision followed a contentious meeting with over 140 public speakers and more than 1,000 emails received by the council...

‘Adoptapalooza’ Pet Adoption Festival Returns to Main Street This Weekend

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The free, family-friendly event aims to connect adoptable animals with new owners Green Dog Dental & Veterinary Center will host...

New Agenda Coaching: Changing Lives in LA

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

Students Work Toward Applied Success with Executive Function Coaching Services The demands of daily routines and studies sometimes bear weight...

New Playground, Library Services, Tennis Courts and More Coming to Palisades Rec Center 

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

Significant improvements are in progress at the Pacific Palisades Recreation Center, with multiple projects advancing Significant improvements are in progress...

Virtual Town Hall to Discuss Proposed Resilient Rebuilding Authority

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

The agency, to be run by political appointees, would manage permitting, development, zoning, and funding, modeled after post-disaster recoveries Los...

Big Blue Bus to Raise Fares for First Time in Nearly a Decade

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

The fare increase aims to offset rising costs for fuel, utilities, and supplies, according to the agency. The Santa Monica...

Shore Hotel: A Local Destination for Summer Fun

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

Bring on all things summer. Walking or biking along Santa Monica Pier, you might find yourself taking a pause at...

Soprano Golda Zahra Returns to BroadStage For a One-Night-Only Musical Celebration

July 7, 2025

July 7, 2025

Hailed as “the rising star of the opera world” by The Hollywood Times, internationally acclaimed soprano Golda Zahra makes her much-anticipated return to BroadStage in...

Committee Granted Authority to Oversee Grants and Donations for Palisades Council

July 7, 2025

July 7, 2025

The Grants Committee is tasked with developing application processes and eligibility standards for PPCC grants and donations The Pacific Palisades...

Anti-Drunk Driving Resolution Introduced as City Council Honors Late Palisades Teen Killed in Crash

July 7, 2025

July 7, 2025

Levi, who was set to attend the University of Virginia this fall, was killed by a drunk driver on May...

(Video) Hundreds of Drones Light up the Sky for Palisades to Celebrate July 4th

July 7, 2025

July 7, 2025

The Event Marked One of the First Large Gatherings Among Palisadians Since the January Wildfires. The Event Marked One of...

Transform Your Life: The Free Virtual ONENESS GLOBAL SUMMIT Debuts July 18-20, 2025

July 7, 2025

July 7, 2025

The ONENESS GLOBAL SUMMIT, a transformative three-day virtual event, is coming, July 18-20, 2025, offering participants worldwide a free opportunity...

New SaMo Bridge Program Refers 56 People in First Month; 37 Connected to Services

July 7, 2025

July 7, 2025

According to city officials, the program is on pace to meet its goal of serving 260 individuals annually Santa Monica’s...

Multi-Family Venice Property on Rare Double Lot Lists at Over $5M

July 7, 2025

July 7, 2025

In total, the four units provide 5,398 square feet of living space A multi-family property located one block from Venice...

Vacant Alphabet Streets Lot Lists for $1.99M After Price Cuts

July 7, 2025

July 7, 2025

The site previously held a 6,001-square-foot residence built in 2018, which included a basement, possibly streamlining the permitting process for...