By Jorge Casuso
July 24, 2025 -- Santa Monica's homeless population increased by 38 individuals this year with more people living in shelters, cars, vans and RVs, according to the results of the 2025 homeless count released Wednesday.
The 5 percent increase in the number of homeless individuals counted in Santa Monica comes amid a 4 percent drop in the number of individuals counted countywide and a 5 percent drop on the Westside.
The point-in-time count conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) on the night of February 20 counted 812 homeless individuals in Santa Monica, up from 774 counted in 2024.
Of those, 475 people were living outdoors, four fewer than last year, 20 were living in tents and 31 in makeshift shelters, a decrease of one tent and 9 makeshift shelters.
But the decrease in the number of those living outdoors was offset by an increase of those living in cars, vans and RVs, which rose by 21 vehicles, from 63 to 84.
The number of those living indoors in shelters also increased by 29, from 173 to 202, largely due to 25 new transitional shelter beds added under Pathway Home, the County's effort to clear encampments.
The number of those counted both countywide and on the Westside decreased for the second year in a row after LAHSA took over the annual count run by local jurisdictions until last year.
But the downward trend has been called into question by a recent RAND study that found the counts conducted by LAHSA could reflect a serious undercount ("Homelessness Drops in LA County Based on Questionable Count," July 15, 2025).
Santa Monica's 2024 homeless count was impacted by a sudden drop in community volunteers and technical glitches encountered after LASHA upgraded to new technology ("Few Volunteers, Tech Glitches Hamper Homeless Count," January 29, 2024).
In a press release announcing this year's census results, City officials highlighted the finding that more homeless individuals were living in shelters.
"This result reflects the city’s goals and efforts centered around helping unhoused Santa Monicans move into shelters and interim housing," City officials said in a press release announcing the results.
"Further, the increase of individuals living in shelters is attributable to the city’s partnership with the county of Los Angeles’ encampment resolution effort, Pathway Home."
City officials also highlighted the decrease in the number of homeless individuals living on the streets, attributing it in large part to the City funded program Project Homecoming.
Since it was launched in 2006, the program has reunited more than 3,200 individuals "with their community of support, which includes safely reconnecting them with family and friends living elsewhere," officials said.
The City has also been deploying "outreach teams" to connect homeless individuals living in their vehicles to safe parking programs in Culver City and the greater Los Angeles area, officials said.
The homeless counts in Santa Monica have fluctuated over the past decade, remaining steady at a little below 750 from 2014 to 2016, before soaring to 921 in 2017, reflecting a countywide surge in homelessness.
Over the next two years, Santa Monica's homeless population continued rising reaching 957 in 2018 and 985 in 2019, before dropping to 907 in the count conducted in January 2020, two months before the coronavirus shutdown.
The next count, taken two years later in January 2022, saw an 11 percent decrease, driven by a dramatic 35 percent drop in the number of homeless persons staying in local shelters, jails, and institutions due to COVID-19 health protocols.
The number would jump back above 900 in 2023, when 926 individuals were counted in the final census conducted by the City before LAHSA took over the count last year.
