Long Beach saw a 3.7% increase in its homeless population this year compared to 2025, according to the results of the city’s annual point-in-time tally of those without permanent shelter.
While the overall number of people experiencing homelessness increased, the year-over-year increase was smaller than the increase reported in 2025, according to a city press release. The data also revealed several encouraging trends, including a 15.4% increase in people staying in shelters and a decline in the proportion of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness to 69.4 %, the lowest level recorded in the past four years.
Impacts of federal funding cuts made by Trump’s administration have also impacted resources, such as the reduction in available housing vouchers that many already in temporary housing have come to rely on.
These consistent changes in funding have impacted the resources the city can provide; however, city officials say they plan to continue efforts to move people into permanent housing, as well as invest in prevention measures. But Long Beach’s looming budget deficit is also causing additional concerns.
“While homelessness remains one of the most pressing challenges for our community, this year’s results show important signs of progress,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. “More people are accessing shelter, and fewer people are experiencing unsheltered homelessness. We remain committed to expanding housing opportunities, strengthening prevention efforts and working with our partners to help residents achieve long-term stability.”
The city released the data on Monday, July 20, with officials highlighting key findings, demographic insights, an in-depth analysis of the causes and contributing factors of homelessness, an increase of total shelter beds in the city, continued efforts to address homelessness and housing affordability, and how federal funding cuts have impacted resources.
This year’s count was conducted in January, with more than 300 volunteers helping tally and survey people who are homeless on the streets of Long Beach.
Long Beach is one of three Los Angeles County cities that conducts its own homeless survey. The Los Angeles Housing Services Authority does an annual tally for the rest of the county. LAHSA is anticipated to release its 2026 data on Friday, July 24.
Last year, homelessness increased by 6.5% in Long Beach, which city officials attributed to the impact of those displaced by the Los Angeles wildfires earlier that year. But the city also highlighted the increased number of chronically homeless people it helped find shelter.
This year’s count tallied 3,729 people experiencing homelessness in Long Beach, the data said – an increase of 134 people, or 3.7%, compared with 2025.
Unsheltered homelessness actually decreased, dropping from 72.5% in 2025 to 69.4% in 2026, even as the overall number of people experiencing homelessness increased, according to the report. At the same time, the percentage of people staying in shelters increased from 27.5% to 30.6%.
On the night of the 2026 count, 1,141 people were staying in shelters, 152 more than on the night of the 2025 count, a 15.4% increase, according to the press release.
The increase in sheltered homelessness reflects expanded access to shelter and interim housing resources and highlights the need to continue creating pathways from interim to permanent housing, officials said. In 2025, these efforts helped connect more than 1,700 people to permanent housing, reinforcing the importance of a coordinated system that supports people from shelter to stable housing.
This year, there was a slight increase in chronic homelessness, with 58% of individuals experiencing long-term homelessness, compared to 46.7% in 2025 — indicating longer durations of homelessness and higher needs for supportive housing interventions.
This increase suggests that a larger proportion of people remained unhoused for longer periods and may require more intensive housing interventions and supportive services, officials said. The findings highlight the continued need for investment in permanent supportive housing, intensive case management and other long-term solutions to help people achieve housing stability.
Newly homeless individuals increased as well, from 10.9% to 12.4%, which suggests that a larger proportion of people had entered homelessness within the past year.
Although fewer people were experiencing homelessness for the first time, the increase in people newly experiencing homelessness may indicate that more people who had previously exited homelessness returned within the last year, according to the press release. This trend shows the continued need for homelessness prevention, housing stabilization and rapid connections to housing and supportive services.
Across the county, public health programs are experiencing the effects of reduced and uncertain funding. In Long Beach, the Health and Human Services Department relies on a combination of city, state and federal funding to provide homelessness prevention, outreach, housing assistance and other critical services.
Beginning in fiscal year 2027, the department anticipates significant funding disruptions and volatility, including a reduction in annual allocation of grant awards made available from its public funders, according to the report.
Additionally, Long Beach is faced with a $60.5 million general fund deficit through the 2031 fiscal year as economic uncertainty across the country grows – with federal funding cuts, a decrease in the city’s oil revenue, rising costs of labor, state budget challenges and more.
Los Angeles County Measure A dollars — provided through the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency — and the city’s Measure A funds will still be able to continue the city’s programs and preventative measures to keep people housed, officials said.
City officials said while the number of people experiencing homelessness may have slightly increased, the city has remained consistent in the number of people it has been able to move into permanent housing. The data shows that 1,702 people were moved into permanent housing within the past year.
The city has continued to expand its coordinated shelter system. During 2025, the system grew by 164 beds, increasing access to shelter and interim housing for people experiencing homelessness. Shelter bed capacity increased by 12.1%, a total of 1,521 shelter beds, which are now consistently at 95% and above occupancy, officials said.
An increase in occupancy has been due to a change in homeless services provider amid an ongoing city audit, officials said. Long Beach also changed its services provider for the Youth Shelter and Navigation Center, which opened in August, and is now at full capacity.
There have also been housing projects opening up in Long Beach, including two new Homekey projects – Zephyr, located at 1133 Atlantic Ave., which includes 135 studio apartments and two manager’s units, and Crescent, located at 5665 E. Seventh St., which has 39 studios and one manager’s unit. More housing projects are underway, such as Thrive, a 73-unit apartment complex in the Zaferia neighborhood; the Armory Arts Collective, creating 63 apartments for low-income older adults; and The 101, which consists of 51 apartments for people who have experienced homelessness; among others.
Long Beach also launched its renter aid program, which provides short-term financial assistance to low-income renters who are at risk of losing their homes, in an effort to help them stay housed and avoid eviction and homelessness.
The report also recognized that federal immigration enforcement and related policies have had significant impacts on community members, including family separation, disruptions to employment and increased risk of housing instability. To help mitigate these impacts, the city has dedicated funding through the Renter Aid program to support households affected by federal immigration policies and continues to invest in the Justice Fund, which provides legal services to people facing deportation proceedings, the report said.
City staff is continuing to work on efforts outlined in the city’s Upstream LB plan, the city’s strategy to prevent homelessness before it occurs while strengthening pathways from homelessness into stable housing.
The city’s outreach teams, according to the report, received a total of 4,245 requests for help – with 1,833 people accepting services.
This report emphasizes the broader regional dynamics that continue to affect Long Beach’s homelessness crisis. About 50.9% of surveyed individuals lost their housing outside of Long Beach, demonstrating the regional nature of homelessness across Southern California.
Long Beach also made a correction to last year’s count regarding vehicular homelessness. The 2025 report stated that there had been an increase of 38.7%, or 1,008 people, experiencing vehicular homelessness. However, due to an error in a formula, that number was incorrect, according to this year’s report. The correct number was 684 people had been experiencing vehicular homelessness — incorrectly increasing the 2025 vehicular homelessness number by 324 people.
This year’s report showed 30.3% of unsheltered people reported living in a vehicle, such as a car, van, SUV, or RV, representing a 14.5% increase compared with 2025.
The report also broke down specific populations that are experiencing homelessness in Long Beach. Veterans experiencing homelessness had a 29% decrease since 2022 — with 173 individuals being sheltered and 146 being unsheltered. Those who identify within the LGBTQ+ community experiencing homelessness had a slight increase, with 9.3% identifying as part of the community compared to 7.5% last year.
Understanding the factors that contribute to homelessness is critical to informing prevention and response efforts, the report said. Survey participants were asked to identify the primary factors that led to their housing loss. Financial hardship and family disruption remained the most commonly reported contributors to homelessness, highlighting the continued impact of economic instability on housing security.
These findings align with regional and national research identifying a lack of affordable housing for low-income households as a leading driver of homelessness. The report showed that financial hardship continued to be the most frequently cited factor, remaining relatively unchanged from 41.2% in 2025 to 40.4% in 2026. During the same period, reports of mental health concerns increased from 15.3% to 20.4%, while reports of physical disabilities increased from 10.8% to 13.3%.
The city also shared the progress they have made with addressing homelessness along the Los Angeles Riverbed. Last year, the city received an $11 million state grant from a third round of Encampment Resolution Funding. Approximately 80 people were secured permanent housing.
Overall, the city is committed to offering shelter beds to homeless people through both city-run shelters and those provided by partner organizations. Officials also said they hope to continue to build affordable housing and invest in other preventative measures.