72,308 People Currently Experience Homelessness in LA County

According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) 2025 Homeless Count, there are 72,308 people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County, a 4% decrease from the 2024 homeless count.

Los Angeles holds the count for the highest number of people experiencing homelessness in all of the United States.

  • In November 2021, LA City Council adopted a blueprint to develop 500,000 new housing units by 2029

  • LA City need to build 57,000 units annually to keep up with housing demand, but from 2019-2024, it has been producing only 22,459 units annually

  • Annual needs include 23,000 affordable units, however the total amount of units produced annually does not even reach this mark

  • LA City Controller’s review of Proposition HHH-funded supportive housing revealed high costs (median of $597,000 per unit) and lengthy project timelines (3 to 6 years)

  • The city of Los Angeles has begun plans to build 40,000 affordable housing units, with over 6,000 units under construction as of April, 2026.

65 Million Forcibly Displaced and 1 Billion Dwelling in Slums

According to the UNCHR, over the past 10 years 250 million people have been misplaced due to weather related disasters. These numbers are expected to surge in coming decades with forecasts from international thinktank the IEP predicting that 1.2 billion people could be displaced globally by 2050 due to climate change and natural disasters.

117 million people had been displaced by war, violence and persecution (UNCHR).

1.1 billion people live in slums or substandard housing globally and 100 million are homeless globally.

LifeArk is designed to be a tool that will support the community comprehensively, enabling sustainable transformation. 

1.69 billion people live without access to adequate sanitation, and 2.2 billion people do not have access to safely managed drinking water services.

In 2025, displaced persons spend more than 16 years living as refugees in temporary shelters.

Two-thirds of the global refugee population – over 10 million refugees – live in protracted refugee situations in 30 countries.

 

Climate Change will Magnify the Housing Crisis

IPCC released a report on climate change that United Nation called a “code red for humanity” (IPCC)

  • By 2030, earth might have only 10% of its forests which will accelerate global warming (earth.org)

  • Extreme weather events resulted in 15,000 deaths and economic loss of $170 billion in 20203 (UNDRR)