Rand study says homelessness in key LA County neighborhoods is 18% higher than currently reported

On Skid Row, the number of people living in the tents lining the streets remains a mystery as this year's count continues on, however, we know the numbers continue to grow. 

According to a new study from the Rand Corporation said the population of unhoused in Skid Row, Hollywood and Venice is likely much higher than what was reported in the last year's homeless count done by the county. 

"What we did was look at whether there were changes over time and we saw between fall 2021 to fall 2022 that in these three neighborhoods, on average, there was an increase of 18%," said Sarah Hunter, director of the Rand Center on Housing and Homelessness.

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which counts the homeless count, has to follow a number of federal guidelines. However, Rand said there could be improvements, such as how volunteers are deployed and how the estimates are generated. 

Last year, volunteers used an app for the count that turned out to be glitchy, as reported by KCAL News investigative reporter David Goldstein. The problems with the app, skepticism surrounding the accuracy of last year's homeless count and now the Rand report, have drawn scrutiny towards LAHSA and the validity of its count.

"The homeless count is always an estimate," said Chief Programs Officer Molly Rysman. "It is the best estimate we can get, but it is always an estimate. The 2022 count was a challenging count. We were still in the pandemic. We had a lot of volunteers who weren't able to come out and participate in the count. We had the lowest volunteer numbers we've had in a long, long time. It was our first year piloting an app."

This year's count is happening this week, with a new app that carries a new hope for better insight into the homeless population. 

Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency over the homeless crisis and the county has followed suit. These actions seem to have prompted several large encampments to be cleared in two of the problem areas outlined in Rands report: Hollywood and Venice. 

"Lately, definitely this street is much better," said one Venice resident. "I couldn't even walk on the sidewalk at all. I've had my bike stolen and those kinds of things."

The results of this year's homeless count results should be announced this fall.