Housing for Health Programs 

November 2018



In 2012, DHS established Housing for Health as a division dedicated to developing and managing programs and services for people who are homeless. The goals of Housing for Health are to:

Los Angeles County Homelessness Issue

Approximately 59,000 people are experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County¹
About 16,000 individuals are experiencing chronic homelessness¹
Approximately 14,000 have a serious mental illness and 8,000 have a substance use disorder¹
$579 million per year is spent on health-related services for persons experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County²
Sources:
(1) 2019 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count - Data Summary, (June 2019)
(2 )Wu, Fei, and Stevens. The Services Homeless Single Adults Use and Their Associated Costs: An Examination of Utilization Patterns and Expenditures in Los Angeles County over One Fiscal Year (July to June), Los Angeles, California: County of Los Angeles, 2016.

 Homelessness in LA County as of January 2019

59,000

homeless individuals identified during the 2019 Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Homeless Count

Source: 2019 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count - Data Summary, (June 2019)

Homeless Encampments

  • 2,748 cars
  • 2,360 vans
  • 4,873 RVs/campers
  • 3,276 tents
  • 4,139 makeshift shelters

Household Composition for Los Angeles  Chronically Homeless Population (n=16,528)
Count by Subpopulation
LA County by Subpopulation