Why hasn't LA released results of this year's homeless count?

The Los Angeles region usually knows by the end of June whether homelessness went up or down.

Not this year, as L.A.’s lead homelessness agency is first waiting for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to validate the region’s annual homeless count data before releasing it publicly.

It’s unclear when the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority plans to publish the 2026 results.

Last week, LAHSA officials said it was possible the release wouldn’t happen at all this year because HUD suspended it from federal grant activity.

This week, after a federal judge intervened, a LAHSA spokesperson told LAist the agency expects to announce the release date for the 2026 homeless count numbers in the “near future.”

“Several factors can influence the announcement date, including the validation process with HUD,” LAHSA spokesperson Ahmad Chapman said.

LAHSA officials said they first submitted its homeless count data to HUD for quality analysis on April 30. HUD does not require these reviews to be completed before regions publish their data. But after last year’s HUD review found errors, LAHSA opted to wait “to ensure total data integrity,” said interim CEO Gita O’Neill

Suspended, then unsuspended

On June 11, while that review was taking place, HUD suspended LAHSA from federal grant activity, pending an investigation into alleged mismanagement.

LAHSA then filed a lawsuit challenging the suspension and a separate petition for relief. The agency mentioned in its June 29 lawsuit that it was still in the process of reviewing 2026 homeless count data with a technical assistance provider contracted by HUD.

“If the proposed HUD suspension takes effect, LAHSA likely will not be able to complete its 2026 PIT Count process,” LAHSA’s legal complaint states. “Should that occur, HUD would not have an accurate count for the Los Angeles area.”

U.S. District Judge David O. Carter issued a legal order pausing HUD’s effort to suspend LAHSA pending an Aug. 6 court date.

LAHSA officials said that ruling means the agency can continue drawing down funding from HUD, signing funding agreements with the housing agency, and participating in other federal activities.

HUD said no action it has taken in any way prevents LAHSA from publishing its own homeless count data, according to a spokesperson.

But HUD’s suspension put the troubled agency’s responsibilities and funding in limbo, and experts said it’s possible the suspension could delay the release of L.A.’s homeless count.

“Given the unprecedented nature of the HUD suspension and LAHSA's subsequent lawsuit, I imagine the staff capacity over there is somewhat limited to make it all happen,” said Alex Visotzky, senior California policy fellow with the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

Why the count matters

HUD mandates the homeless counts across the country to help determine priorities for hundreds of millions in federal funds to address homelessness.

L.A.’s annual count has become increasingly consequential and controversial in L.A. County, which is home to the largest unhoused population in the U.S., estimated at more than 72,000 in 2025.

Last year’s count found homelessness had dropped for two years in a row, and was down 4% in L.A. County and 3.4% in the city of L.A. from the year before.

Those declines are a major talking point in L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ reelection campaign. The region’s homelessness system has since experienced major shifts in funding, making this year’s results even more anticipated.

Past counts

From 2016 to 2020, LAHSA published its annual unhoused point-in-time count results in May or early June. The count was canceled in 2021. In 2022, they were released Sept. 8. Then back to June release dates in 2023 and 2024.

Last year, in an unprecedented move, LAHSA released early preliminary results in March 2025. It was a month after the count wrapped and just before L.A. County leaders voted to divert more than $300 million from the agency into its own new homelessness department.

LAHSA released official results in July. Then, in October, LAHSA put out “finalized” 2025 homeless count results with revisions based on a data review by HUD.

Waiting on the numbers

This year’s L.A.-area homeless count happened in January. And unlike last year, no preliminary raw data or official results have been released.

Orange County, San Diego and San Francisco each publicly released 2026 results in May. Pasadena released its homeless count findings in June. Long Beach and Glendale still haven’t.

“These types of delays are incredibly common in reporting out homeless count data,” Visotzky said. “In fact, many communities across California have not yet reported out their 2026 Point-in-Time Count data.”

In April, a LAHSA spokesperson told LAist this year’s final release would arrive in “late spring or early summer,” but cautioned “there are some aspects of the post-counting process that affect when the results are released that are beyond LAHSA's control.”

At an April 24 LAHSA Commission meeting, O’Neill said the agency planned to submit its homeless count data to HUD on April 30 for review and validation. She clarified that, unlike last year, LAHSA would wait until the HUD review and validation processes are complete before releasing any data.

“ After HUD's validation process is complete, we look forward to releasing the results, hopefully this summer,” O’Neill said.

At the meeting, O’Neill told LAHSA commissioners that HUD’s review process usually takes about a month, with data coming back by May 30, but explained that the exact timing was unknown and outside of LAHSA’s control.

Two months later, both LAHSA and HUD decline to say whether the federal review had been completed.

After HUD completes its review, LAHSA officials said they will require additional time to prepare the data for release.

“Since 2022, the count has been released in June, July, and September,” LAHSA’s Chapman told LAist. “There is no deadline for announcing the results of the homeless count, so it cannot be late.”