Story perspectives

Study Finds 64% of LA Homeless Come From Outside

5/22/2026

Summary

Story summary

New research shows that most of Los Angeles’s street-homeless population now comes from outside the city and county, a fact long concealed by officials.
Los Angeles city and county stopped publishing previous-location data on homeless.
A 2025 survey of 200 street-homeless individuals found that 64 % were from outside Los Angeles.
Officials claim that housing-first and harm-reduction programs create a magnet effect that draws homeless migrants to Los Angeles.

History

Historical Context

Reagan’s July 22 1987 signing of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act created the first federal grant program—$1.2 billion—and required nationwide counts, producing the 1990 Los Angeles County survey of 12,000 unsheltered people. Today the city and county withhold prior-location data, and a 2025 survey found 64 % of street-homeless originated elsewhere, spurring the Coalition for the Homeless to demand transparency.

1 of 2

Story summary

New research shows that most of Los Angeles’s street-homeless population now comes from outside the city and county, a fact long concealed by officials.
Los Angeles city and county stopped publishing previous-location data on homeless.
A 2025 survey of 200 street-homeless individuals found that 64 % were from outside Los Angeles.
Officials claim that housing-first and harm-reduction programs create a magnet effect that draws homeless migrants to Los Angeles.

1 / 2