By Jorge Casuso

July 27, 2026 – Santa Monica's homeless population dropped to 718 individuals this year, the lowest number recorded since the first homeless count was taken 23 years ago.

Conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) for the third year in a row, the count taken on the night of January 22 found 94 fewer homeless individuals than the 812 counted last year, a decline of 11.6 percent.

The drop furthered a trend that saw LAHSA's three counts average 768, down from an average of 943 in the four counts conducted by the City before the coronavirus shutdown some two months after the 2020 count.

The drop to record-low levels -- which defies public perception -- was largely due to an 18.7 percent decrease in the number of homeless individuals found living outdoors, from 475 last year to 389, City officials reported Friday.

Of those living outdoors, LAHSA counted 59 occupied vehicles – down from 84 last year, and 48 tents and makeshift shelters, down from 51. (The census does not count the number of individuals living in the vehicles or tents).

The decrease was partly offset by an increase in the number of people living in shelters -- from 202 last year to 222, a 9.9 percent increase.

City officials attributed the marked decrease in the homeless individuals counted to the City's Homeless Strategic Plan, which was adopted in March 2025.

“This decline reflects what a dedicated system of care can achieve when we meet people where they are and connect them to services right away,” said Aileen Reynolds, the City's director of Housing and Human Services.

“At the same time, we know our work is not done. We’ll keep following the data, strengthening our partnerships, and building upon the housing-focused infrastructure that brings lasting stability for our neighbors.”

The sudden decline in the numbers comes after LAHSA took over the annual census from the City in 2024. That year, the number of homeless individuals counted dropped from 926 to 774, while the number of volunteers counting them dropped from more than 250 to 100.

The City's counts indicate Santa Monica's longstanding homelessness problem persisted after hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars had been spent while the numbers held steady -- with 999 homeless people counted in 2008 and 985 counted in 2020.

The downward trend after LAHSA took over the count has been called into question by RAND Corporation studies that found the County-run counts likely reflected serious under counts ("Homelessness Drops in LA County Based on Questionable Count," July 15, 2025).

City officials said Friday that beginning in late summer, the City will partner with RAND to conduct independent counts of the homeless living outdoors in Santa Monica on a bi-monthly basis, paired with in-person surveys.

City officials attributed the record low count this year to a number of city policies and programs, including the SaMo Bridge program launched in May of last year that offers services and temporary housing to those arrested for misdemeanor crimes in lieu of jail.

Fifty-four individuals who entered the program have become eligible to have their citations dismissed, City officials said (“SaMo Bridge Far Exceeds First-Year Goal, May 16, 2026).

Officials also cited the expanded hours of street outreach teams, the growth of the Police Department’s Homeless Liaison Program and the City's Right to Counsel program that provides legal representation in eviction proceedings.

In addition, the City’s Project Homecoming initiative “has helped return more than 3,200 people home to their family and support networks since 2006,” officials said.

Mayor Caroline Torosis touted the “milestone” indicated by the latest homeless count.

“Behind every one of these numbers is a person, and behind this progress is a community that refuses to treat homelessness as inevitable,” Torosis said in a statement. “This is what happens when a city stays committed to keeping people housed. We’re proud of this milestone, and we are not slowing down.”

It is not the first time City officials attribute a drop in the homeless count to the latest City strategies, which have ranged from cracking down on the homeless to providing them with free housing to a carrot and stick approach that combines both (“It's Deja Vu for Santa Monica's Homeless Policies, April 26, 2022”).

City and LAHSA officials, however, have not addressed the shortcomings of the counts, which in recent years have experienced technical glitches that may have affected the results, or proposed ways to improve them.

In 2004, when Santa Monica's first homeless census counted approximately 1,000 individuals, LAHSA's contractor, the non-profit Applied Survey Research, noted that homeless individuals were given $10 an hour to serve as guides in each census tract, a practice repeated the following year.

“Census tracts are large spatial areas, and it can be difficult to know where homeless individuals are likely to be found,” the consultant wrote in a report on the count conducted 23 years ago.