Student homelessness in Los Angeles County climbed nearly 30% in a single school year, far outpacing state and national trends, according to new UCLA research warning that the crisis is deepening just as the funding built to address it runs dry.
An estimated 61,249 K-12 students experienced homelessness across the county in the 2023-24 school year — the highest total in five years and up from 47,689 the year before — the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools reported. The 28.4% jump was nearly double California’s 16% rise over the same period and outpaced a 25% national increase recorded over an earlier two-year span.
“Los Angeles County is facing a rapid escalation in youth homelessness,” said Mayra Cazares-Minero, a research analyst at the center and a co-author of the report. “A shortage of housing, economic instability and other barriers is making access to housing more difficult, just as important temporary funding streams and policies supporting access to housing are expiring.”
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