A new county report shows a 76% surge in Latino homelessness—just as Los Angeles considers slashing hundreds of millions from housing and outreach programs.
Latino residents now make up nearly half of Los Angeles County’s unhoused population, a stark shift that advocates say reflects not individual failure but systemic breakdowns in housing, wages, and access to public services.
A December 2025 report released by Los Angeles County’s Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI) Initiative found that Latinos represent approximately 45% of the county’s homeless population, following a 76% increase between 2018 and 2024. The findings, developed by the Task Force on Latinx People Experiencing Homelessness, point to widening service gaps that leave many Latino families unsheltered and disconnected from help.
“Latino residents are entering homelessness at higher rates but accessing county services at significantly lower rates,” the Task Force wrote, citing language barriers, fear of government systems, and eligibility rules that fail to reflect how Latino families actually live.
Across California, the trend mirrors Los Angeles. Statewide data shows homelessness among Latino residents has increased 22% since 2020, with more than half becoming unhoused after leaving “doubled-up” living situations—sharing overcrowded homes with relatives or friends until rent hikes or evictions force them out. Unhoused Latino adults are also younger, with a median age of 42, and many are separated from their children once they lose stable housing.
The timing of the report is especially troubling. In January 2026, Los Angeles County officially launched its new Department of Homeless Services and Housing, taking control of more than $300 million in funding previously overseen by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). County leaders say the move is meant to improve accountability and coordination after years of criticism over mismanagement.
But even as the new department gets underway, the Board of Supervisors is considering $219 million in cuts to homeless services for the next fiscal year, driven by a major budget shortfall. According to LAist and the Los Angeles Daily News, the proposal could shutter most Pathway Home encampment response sites and slash street outreach nearly in half.
Advocates warn the consequences will fall hardest on Latino communities already living one paycheck from displacement.
“You can’t acknowledge that Latinos are disproportionately entering homelessness—and then remove the very services meant to prevent it,” one housing policy analyst told LAist. “That’s how temporary housing crises become permanent.”
For many families, the numbers aren’t abstract. They are a countdown clock.
