Homelessness

What does homelessness cost Los Angeles, and what does it buy?

The City recorded $343.8M in homelessness payments in FY2025-26, down from $390.4M the year before. LAHSA's 2026 count found 45,194 people homeless in the City, up 3.4% — a change within the count's margin of error.

Source:Controller homelessness expense tracker · Updated Oct 26, 2026Source:LAHSA 2026 count · Released Jul 24, 2026Direct City payments only; excludes County, State and Federal spending

Scope: payments City departments recorded in the Controller's Homelessness Expense Tracker, which starts in FY2023-24. It excludes County, State and Federal money, LAHSA's spending of non-City funds, and Prop HHH spending before FY2023-24. It is not the City's full homelessness budget.

$1.2BCity homelessness payments, FY2023-24 to FY2025-26
$343.8MFY2025-26 payments · -11.9% vs prior FY
$8KFY2025-26 payments ÷ 2026 City estimate (45,194)
29,115Unsheltered · 64% of City total (2026)
What the numbers show

FY2025-26 payments in the Controller's tracker fell 11.9%, from $390.4M to $343.8M. Inside Safe payments fell from $136.5M to $121.6M over the same period. LAHSA's 2026 count estimated 45,194 people homeless in the City of LA, up 3.4% from the prior year, with the unsheltered estimate up 7.9%. LAHSA says the change in the total is not statistically significant. On August 26, 2026, the City Council asked LAHSA to review the 2026 count over possible tract-level counting errors; no revised figures had been published as of September 30, 2026.

Where $1.2B goes

City payments recorded in the Controller's Homelessness Expense Tracker (FY2023-24 to FY2025-26), by program, department, vendor and funding source. Direct City payments only: money LAHSA then pays to providers is not itemized here.

By program

Payments by the tracker's major-project code (FY2023-24 to FY2025-26)

  1. All Homeless Expenditures Other than ISF and HED — 69.3%$838.3M
  2. Inside Safe Initiative — 26.8%$323.5M
  3. No program code — 3.3%$40.5M
  4. Homelessness Emergency Declaration — 0.6%$7.0M
Payments by program
NameValue
All Homeless Expenditures Other than ISF and HED — 69.3%$838.3M
Inside Safe Initiative — 26.8%$323.5M
No program code — 3.3%$40.5M
Homelessness Emergency Declaration — 0.6%$7.0M
Inside Safe's share

Inside Safe, the Mayor's program that moves people from encampments into interim hotel and motel rooms, accounts for 26.8% of the payments shown here ($323.5M, FY2023-24 to FY2025-26).

What Inside Safe has cost

Inside Safe is the Mayor's program, launched in 2022, that moves people from encampments into interim hotel and motel rooms. Payments fell 11%, from $136.5M in FY2024-25 to $121.6M in FY2025-26. Every payee, year by year: who gets paid for Inside Safe.

$323.5MInside Safe payments, FY2023-24 to FY2025-26: 26.8% of the City homelessness payments in the Controller's tracker
54%LAHSA's share: $174.8M flows through LAHSA as intermediary
20%Other top vendors: $65.7M to the other 13 vendors in the top 15
$121.6MFY2025-26 payments · down 11% from prior year

Who gets paid

Vendor payments (FY2023-24 to FY2025-26) — LAHSA is the largest payee

  1. Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority — 82 transactions$174.8M
  2. Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles — 19 transactions$12.6M
  3. Warner Center Hospitality Group Inc — 151 transactions$10.1M
  4. Alvarado Investments Inc — 113 transactions$8.8M
  5. Pravin Ahir — 95 transactions$6.8M
  6. Balaji Family Inc — 124 transactions$5.3M
  7. Shivay Hospitality Inc — 61 transactions$5.1M
  8. Canoga Park Investment Group Inc. — 58 transactions$4.3M
  9. Maggie LLC — 53 transactions$4.2M
  10. Shyamrushi Hospitality LLC — 104 transactions$4.2M
  11. Vaidehi Inc. — 41 transactions$3.6M
  12. Sai Balaji Hotel Group — 123 transactions$3.4M
Inside Safe payments by vendor
NameValue
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority — 82 transactions$174.8M
Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles — 19 transactions$12.6M
Warner Center Hospitality Group Inc — 151 transactions$10.1M
Alvarado Investments Inc — 113 transactions$8.8M
Pravin Ahir — 95 transactions$6.8M
Balaji Family Inc — 124 transactions$5.3M
Shivay Hospitality Inc — 61 transactions$5.1M
Canoga Park Investment Group Inc. — 58 transactions$4.3M
Maggie LLC — 53 transactions$4.2M
Shyamrushi Hospitality LLC — 104 transactions$4.2M
Vaidehi Inc. — 41 transactions$3.6M
Sai Balaji Hotel Group — 123 transactions$3.4M

Which City departments run the program

FY2023-24 to FY2025-26

  1. Housing$174.7M
  2. Non-departmental: General City Purposes$129.9M
  3. General Services$12.7M
  4. Non-departmental: Appropriations to Special Purpose Fund$3.8M
  5. Public Works – Sanitation$805K
  6. Public Works – Engineering$800K
  7. Transportation$480K
  8. Information Technology Agency$156K
Inside Safe payments by department
NameValue
Housing$174.7M
Non-departmental: General City Purposes$129.9M
General Services$12.7M
Non-departmental: Appropriations to Special Purpose Fund$3.8M
Public Works – Sanitation$805K
Public Works – Engineering$800K
Transportation$480K
Information Technology Agency$156K
How the payments break down

The largest Inside Safe payee is LAHSA ($174.8M). The other top payees, which include hotel and motel operators, received between $3.3M and $10.1M each across 1,174 transactions (FY2023-24 to FY2025-26). Inside Safe pays for interim rooms, not permanent housing units.

Every Inside Safe payment

7,465 individual checkbook transactions (FY2023-24 to FY2025-26) — filter, sort and search.

7,465 of 7,465 transactions

50 of 7,465 payments

What the $1.2B Prop HHH bond has built

Approved by voters in 2016 to fund supportive and affordable housing and related facilities. Progress figures are from the City's Prop HHH quarterly report, as of December 31, 2025.

Source:Prop HHH quarterly report · As of Dec 31, 2025
$1.099Bexpended of $1.2B authorized
91.6% expended

$1,113,985,000 in bonds issued through December 31, 2025. Source: Proposition HHH Quarterly Report, Q2 FY2025-26 (CAO/LAHD, 2026-03-20; AOC Item 6, 2026-04-02).

131Funded housing projects
8,630Units in funded projects
6,374Units complete and operating (100 projects)
2,256Units in 31 projects not yet complete

HHH payments in the Controller's tracker

$361.2M (FY2023-24 to FY2025-26). The tracker starts in FY2023-24, so earlier bond spending is not here.

Prop HHH payments by fiscal year
Fiscal yearValue
FY2023-24$199.9M
FY2024-25$109.3M
FY2025-26$52.0M

Largest HHH payees

Mostly housing-development limited partnerships (FY2023-24 to FY2025-26)

  1. Weingart Tower LP — 13 payments$16.0M
  2. Weingart Tower II LP — 12 payments$16.0M
  3. VM Senior LP — 11 payments$12.4M
  4. Ingraham Apartments, LP — 2 payments$11.8M
  5. BRIDGE New Hampshire LP — 20 payments$11.8M
  6. Grandview Apartments LP — 12 payments$10.8M
  7. Weingart Tower 1B LP — 5 payments$10.3M
  8. Montecito II Senior Housing LP — 9 payments$10.1M
  9. Villa Vanowen LP — 16 payments$10.0M
  10. 21300 Devonshire LP — 9 payments$9.4M
  11. Voltaire Villas Associates, A California Limited Partnership — 26 payments$8.9M
  12. Southside LA Housing Partners LP — 22 payments$8.8M
Largest Prop HHH payees
NameValue
Weingart Tower LP — 13 payments$16.0M
Weingart Tower II LP — 12 payments$16.0M
VM Senior LP — 11 payments$12.4M
Ingraham Apartments, LP — 2 payments$11.8M
BRIDGE New Hampshire LP — 20 payments$11.8M
Grandview Apartments LP — 12 payments$10.8M
Weingart Tower 1B LP — 5 payments$10.3M
Montecito II Senior Housing LP — 9 payments$10.1M
Villa Vanowen LP — 16 payments$10.0M
21300 Devonshire LP — 9 payments$9.4M
Voltaire Villas Associates, A California Limited Partnership — 26 payments$8.9M
Southside LA Housing Partners LP — 22 payments$8.8M
Context

As of December 31, 2025, the City reported $1.099B in Prop HHH expenditures (91.6% of the $1.2B), with 6,374 of 8,630 funded units in projects that were complete and operating. The voter-approved goal was 10,000 supportive housing units. In 2022 the City Controller reported that the average cost of HHH units then under construction had risen to about $597,000 per unit.

Who the count found

2026 LAHSA estimates for the Los Angeles Continuum of Care (LA County excluding Long Beach, Pasadena and Glendale): 68,576 people.

Source:LAHSA 2026 count · Released Jul 24, 2026

Unsheltered, by dwelling type (%)

Derived from LAHSA's dwelling counts and published people-per-dwelling multipliers; each share carries rounding.

  1. Street / Sidewalk (not in a dwelling)25.1%
  2. RV / Camper23.7%
  3. Makeshift Shelter15.1%
  4. Tent13.6%
  5. Van11.9%
  6. Car10.6%
Unsheltered people by dwelling type (%)
NameValue
Street / Sidewalk (not in a dwelling)25.1%
RV / Camper23.7%
Makeshift Shelter15.1%
Tent13.6%
Van11.9%
Car10.6%

Sheltered vs. unsheltered (% of each)

Gender

Female
27
44
Male
72
54
Transgender / Non-Binary / Other or multiple
2
2

Race / ethnicity

Hispanic / Latino (any race)
50
42
Black / African American (non-Hispanic)
23
38
White (non-Hispanic)
18
15
Asian / Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic)
2
2
Other / Multiple (non-Hispanic)
7
2

Age

Under 18
3
19
18–24
4
8
25–34
17
19
35–44
26
20
45–54
21
14
55–61
15
10
62+
13
11
Unsheltered Sheltered

44%

Chronically homeless

30,269 people (LAHSA estimate, LA CoC)

27% / 27%

Serious mental illness / substance use disorder

Share of adults (18+); 23% report a physical disability

3%

Veterans

2,138 people (tabulated LAHSA estimate; LAHSA's presentation cites 2,257)

55,691

Entered the rehousing system in 2025

66% were newly unhoused. HMIS inflow, not a count; LAHSA did not publish a 2026 first-time-homeless rate.

How many beds there are, and how many were empty

2026 LAHSA Housing Inventory Count, LA Continuum of Care — 81,515 beds and units of all types at 1,493 sites, counted on the night of the homeless count.

81,515All beds and units (incl. permanent housing)
25,386Shelter beds (emergency, transitional, safe haven)
89.1%Shelter beds occupied on count night
2,778Shelter beds empty on count night

Beds and units by program type

Permanent supportive housing is the largest category; its residents are housed and not counted as homeless.

  1. Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) — 74% occupied on count night, 624 projects44,613
  2. Emergency Shelter (ES) — 91% occupied on count night, 532 projects22,686
  3. Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) — 100% occupied on count night, 162 projects9,947
  4. Transitional Housing (TH) — 76% occupied on count night, 132 projects2,564
  5. Other Permanent Housing — 75% occupied on count night, 18 projects1,569
  6. Safe Haven — 86% occupied on count night, 5 projects136
Beds and units by program type
NameValue
Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) — 74% occupied on count night, 624 projects44,613
Emergency Shelter (ES) — 91% occupied on count night, 532 projects22,686
Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) — 100% occupied on count night, 162 projects9,947
Transitional Housing (TH) — 76% occupied on count night, 132 projects2,564
Other Permanent Housing — 75% occupied on count night, 18 projects1,569
Safe Haven — 86% occupied on count night, 5 projects136
Empty shelter beds vs. unsheltered estimate

On count night in January 2026, 2,778 of 25,386 shelter beds in the LA Continuum of Care were empty, while LAHSA estimated 45,968 people were unsheltered in the same area. Those empty beds equal about 6% of the unsheltered estimate. Some beds are restricted to specific groups (families, youth, veterans, survivors of domestic violence), so not every empty bed was available to every person.

City of LA

Inside City limits the HIC lists 18,106 shelter beds, of which 15,948 were occupied and 2,158 empty on count night. LAHSA estimated 29,115 unsheltered people in the City. City figures exclude confidential domestic-violence and HIV sites whose locations are suppressed.

Go deeper: LAHSA X-Ray

LAHSA's budget and funders, City payments to LAHSA, the providers in the 2026 housing inventory, HUD performance measures, and findings from the Alvarez & Marsal and County Auditor-Controller reviews.

Download the data

The tables behind this page, with their official source, license and column dictionary.