Skid Row homeless population jumps 23% as crisis deepens in Los Angeles

The homeless population in Los Angeles’ Skid Row surged 23% in a single year, according to the latest data, marking a stark escalation in the region’s ongoing crisis and challenging the political promises of progress. The 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count revealed 4,892 individuals living in Skid Row this year, up from 3,985 in 2025, an increase of 907 people. The neighborhood, long the epicenter of the city’s homelessness struggle, now faces a sharp reversal after three consecutive years of declining counts under previous leadership.

Skid Row’s struggles are deeply tied to its role as a hub for services, drawing people from across Los Angeles for meals, medical care, and outreach before many disperse into other neighborhoods. Don Garza, a longtime resident and U.S. Marine veteran, described the city’s efforts to clean encampments as a superficial solution. “The city turns around and says, ‘Look, there’s no tents,’ and everybody buys it,” he said. “But they come here, they get whatever they can. Then, before it gets dark, they all scatter out across the city.”

The surge in numbers has coincided with shifts in local governance. Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, took office 18 months ago pledging to expand affordable housing and address homelessness through systemic reforms. Her district has since received the largest share of city funding from the Measure ULA mansion tax program, with over 1,700 affordable housing units planned across 25 projects. However, the recent increase underscores the challenges of translating policy into measurable outcomes.

Los Angeles has allocated $11.3 million in state grants for Skid Row housing operations and is implementing a $280 million countywide plan to expand housing, behavioral health services, and a new care campus. City-funded outreach teams are also focused exclusively on the neighborhood, aiming to connect residents with shelter and treatment. Yet, Paul Webster, executive director of the LA Alliance for Human Rights, which is suing the city over the crisis, emphasized the lack of clarity on what drives homelessness trends. “Despite more money, more capacity, and more attention than ever, no one knows what causes homelessness to increase or decrease,” he said.

The crisis has also exposed tensions between political approaches. Jurado’s predecessor, Councilmember Kevin de León, prioritized coordinated encampment cleanups and housing placements, which had led to declining counts. The current administration’s focus on structural solutions has not yet reversed the upward trend, raising questions about the effectiveness of existing strategies. Meanwhile, the city’s efforts to address the issue are complicated by the broader context of resource allocation and the limitations of short-term interventions.

As Skid Row’s population grows, the neighborhood remains a focal point for debates over how to balance immediate relief with long-term solutions. For residents like Garza, the crisis is a daily reality, with the city’s messaging often at odds with the lived experience of those navigating the system. “It’s not about the tents anymore,” he said. “It’s about the people who keep coming here, and the system that’s not keeping up.”