As tents disappear from some LA neighborhoods, the population of 'rough sleepers' continues to grow

The number of unhoused Angelenos living in Hollywood, Skid Row and Venice remained relatively steady in 2025 compared to the previous year, but the population of people without any type of shelter continues to rise, according to a study released Thursday.

According to the RAND Housing Center, which conducted the study, unsheltered homelessness stayed flat in those Los Angeles neighborhoods between December 2024 and January of this year despite ongoing government efforts to clear tent encampments. In a separate study, RAND found a 15% decrease in the overall unhoused population in those three neighborhoods in 2024 compared to the previous year.

Within those populations, many more people were seen “rough sleeping” — meaning they had no tents, makeshift shelter or vehicles. According to the study, by January, 44% of the total unsheltered population in those areas was “sleeping rough,” compared to 30% in 2021-2022.

The study also found that almost 90% of all tents counted in those neighborhoods were in Skid Row near downtown L.A. compared to 60% four years ago.

RAND said the finding is particularly important because so-called rough sleepers tend to have “greater clinical need” than those who have some type of shelter, are harder to locate and are, therefore, harder to place in interim or permanent housing.

Researchers warned that “continued reliance on tent-focused homelessness resolution approaches will likely yield diminishing returns, especially in Hollywood and Venice, where these living arrangements are now uncommon.” They recommended that city, county and regional agencies use a mixed approach that includes providing centralized service hubs and expanding permanent supporting housing along with behavioral health.

Other findings included:

• Hollywood and Venice were statistically flat after previous declines in 2024. Out of the three neighborhoods studied, Skid Row was the only one where the unsheltered population had grown continuously since 2021-2022.

• Rough sleeping increased (up 20%, up 250 people), tent dwelling declined ( down 23%, down 310 people), and vehicle dwelling rose ( up 11%, up 90 people) during 2025. Since 2021, the number of tents declined by half and were largely replaced by vehicles and rough sleepers.

• For every four tents removed, three vehicles or rough sleepers were added on average each day. The switch toward fewer tents and more people living in cars or without any shelter at all was “especially pronounced” in Hollywood.