Because of the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires in Los Angeles County, the 2025 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count will not take place at the end of this month as originally planned, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) announced on Friday, Jan. 10.
The count will be postponed for at least 30 days, LAHSA announced.
It was scheduled to take place the nights of Jan. 21, 22 and 23.
LAHSA, which conducts the count every year, said it has not yet set new dates for this year’s count.
This decision, made in response to the ongoing wildfire crisis impacting Los Angeles County, has been approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, LAHSA reported.
The agency said the wildfires, including the loss of homes from the Palisades fire and the Eaton fire in particular, as well as the displacement of individuals experiencing homelessness, plus the disruptions to essential supportive services created disruptions and made for challenges to conduct the count at the scheduled dates and times.
“LAHSA determined that conducting the point-in-time count under these circumstances would compromise both the safety of participants and the accuracy of the data collected,” the agency said in a statement.
“We are grateful to HUD for their understanding and flexibility in granting this postponement. This will allow us to conduct the point-in-time count when conditions are safe and ensure that we obtain reliable data that accurately reflects the current state of homelessness in our community,” said LAHSA CEO Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum in a prepared statement.