Los Angeles is experiencing a rise in its homeless population despite the allocation of billions of dollars to address the issue.
Recent counts indicate a 3.4 percent increase over the past year, with approximately 44,000 individuals living on the streets and 72,000 across the county.
Mayor Karen Bass attributed the surge to higher costs for gasoline, groceries and rent, as well as reductions in critical safety‑net funding.
She highlighted that federal housing assistance was cut by roughly half last year, creating an estimated $70 million shortfall for the city.
While the city achieved historic reductions in homelessness for two consecutive years, Bass said that recent policy shifts and funding cuts at the federal and state levels have stalled those gains.
The growing crisis underscores the complex challenges local officials face in delivering effective solutions to homelessness.
