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Independent homeless count underway in Hollywood
Organizers say the results of their count could influence ongoing budget decisions tied to homelessness resources.
LOS ANGELES - A coalition of Hollywood nonprofits, business leaders and residents is conducting its own homeless count Tuesday, saying they no longer trust the accuracy of Los Angeles’ official homelessness numbers.
Organizers say the results of their count could influence ongoing budget decisions tied to homelessness resources.
What we know:
About 60 volunteers with Hollywood 4WRD are expected to fan out across 30 census tracts in Hollywood on Tuesday to conduct an independent count of people living unsheltered.
The group says it launched the effort after losing confidence in the official regional homeless count conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, or LAHSA.
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City leaders have pointed to official estimates showing the unhoused population in Los Angeles dropped by 5.5% between 2023 and 2025. But a 2025 analysis by RAND found the official count missed significant numbers of unsheltered people in some of the city’s hardest-hit neighborhoods, including Hollywood.
RAND found LAHSA’s official count captured about 81% of the unsheltered population researchers identified in Hollywood, with many of those missed being people living in vehicles or sleeping without shelter.
What they're saying:
Hollywood 4WRD says its volunteers are trained professionals already working in homeless services throughout the neighborhood.
"Our volunteers are folks who have paid positions at provider agencies and homeless service agencies throughout Hollywood. So, they’re very familiar with the types of people they will see in their programs," said Brittney Weissman, who serves as the Executive Director of Hollywood 4WRD.
The group says its count will follow the same methodology developed by RAND’s LA LEADS research project, with at least two volunteers assigned to each census tract and observations recorded with pen and paper instead of a mobile app.
Organizers say their own observations suggest homelessness may be shifting in form rather than disappearing.
"What we see with our eyes is that there are fewer tents and fewer encampments in our neighborhood, but they’re being replaced by people who may be sleeping rough… and also people who may be experiencing homelessness in their vehicles," said Weissman.
The backstory:
RAND’s Los Angeles Longitudinal Enumeration and Demographic Survey, known as LA LEADS, conducted recurring homeless counts in Hollywood, Skid Row and Venice from 2021 through earlier this year.
Researchers found the official homeless count increasingly underestimated the number of unsheltered people in those neighborhoods, especially people sleeping outside without tents or shelter and those living in vehicles.
Hollywood 4WRD says if independent findings show vehicle homelessness is increasing in the area, that information could be used to push for additional resources during current city budget negotiations.
What we don't know:
LAHSA conducted its latest official countywide homeless count in January, but the agency has not announced when those results will be released. Officials have said they expect the data sometime this summer.
Hollywood 4WRD plans to release results from its independent count on May 27.
The Source: This report is based on an independent data initiative by Hollywood 4WRD and research from the RAND Corporation as of Tuesday, May 19, 2026.