Above: In the early hours of Jan. 22, 2026, volunteers gathered to participate in the 2026 Homeless Point in Time Count.

Long Beach, CA – The City of Long Beach today released the results of the 2026 Homeless Point in Time Count, which identified 3,729 people experiencing homelessness in the early hours of Jan. 22, 2026, an increase of 134 people, or 3.7%, compared with 2025. While the overall number of people experiencing homelessness increased, the year-over-year increase was smaller than the increase reported in 2025. 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.

"While homelessness remains one of the most pressing challenges for our community, this year's results show important signs of progress," said Mayor Rex Richardson. "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 has published the2026 Homeless Point in Time Count Report, highlighting key findings, demographic insights, an in‑depth analysis of the causes and contributing factors of homelessness. The report also includes case studies focused on youth and riverbed communities. Below is a summary of this year's data.

Above: The figure shows the trend in homelessness rates, indicating percentage changes from 2017 to the present.

Expanding Shelter Access
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 provides more than just a safe place to stay. It offers immediate safety and stability while connecting people to case management, housing navigation, behavioral health services and other supportive services that help them move toward permanent housing.

Decrease in Unsheltered Homelessness
In 2026, the proportion of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness declined from 72.5% in 2025 to 69.4%, even as the overall number of people experiencing homelessness increased. 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. 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. 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.

Above: The figure illustrates changes in the percentage of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Long Beach from 2022 to 2026.

Increase in People Newly Experiencing Homelessness
The percentage of people newly experiencing homelessness, defined as people in their first episode of homelessness lasting less than one year, increased from 10.9% in 2025 to 12.4% in 2026.

This finding 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. This trend shows the continued need for homelessness prevention, housing stabilization and rapid connections to housing and supportive services.

Increase in Chronic Homelessness
The percentage of people experiencing chronic homelessness increased from 46.7% in 2025 to 58% in 2026.

Chronic homelessness refers to people with a disabling condition who have experienced homelessness continuously for at least one year or through repeated episodes over an extended period. This increase suggests that a larger proportion of people remained unhoused for longer periods and may require more intensive housing interventions and supportive services. 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.

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Youth Under 18 Experience a Decline in Homelessness
The 2026 count identified an 11.7% decrease in the number of youth under age 18 experiencing homelessness compared with 2025, with 9 fewer youth identified. All youth under the age of 18 identified during the 2026 count were staying in a sheltered setting, meaning no children or youth under 18 were found experiencing unsheltered homelessness on the night of the count.

Supporting children and youth remains a key priority, and the City continues to work closely with the County of Los Angeles Department of Homeless Services and Housing, which oversees services for minors under 18, to strengthen connections to housing and support programs for young people in need.

Demographic Snapshot
The report also provides updated demographic information about people experiencing homelessness in Long Beach.

Age

The average age of people experiencing homelessness decreased slightly, from approximately 47 years in 2025 to approximately 46 years in 2026.

Gender Identity:

• Male: 2,518 (67.5%)
• Female: 1,174 (31.5%)
• Transgender/non-conforming: 58 (2.6%)

Race/Ethnicity:

• Black/African American: 1,013 (32.5%)
• Latinx/Hispanic: 880 (28.2%)
• White: 794 (25.5%)
• Other: 145 (4.7%)
• Asian American & Pacific Islander: 120 (3.8%)
• Multiple Races: 117 (3.8%)
• Native American/Alaska Native: 48 (1.5%)

Housing Affordability Remains a Key Driver
Financial hardship remained the most reported contributing factor to homelessness. These findings align with regional and national research, identifying a lack of affordable housing for low-income households as a leading driver of homelessness. Together, the survey results and broader research underscore the role housing affordability plays in increasing the risk of homelessness. More than 40.4% of survey respondents cited financial hardship or unemployment as contributing factors to their housing loss.

The top reported contributing factors to homelessness included:

• Finance/Unemployment: 40.4%
• Family Disruption: 29%
• Mental Health: 20.4%
• Eviction: 15.5%
• Physical Disability: 13.3%
• Substance Use: 12%

In Los Angeles County, nearly six in 10 renter households are considered cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs, according to the University of Southern California's Lusk Center for Real Estate's SOLACHAN 2025 analysis.

Housing Loss Prior to Homelessness
Slightly less than half (49.1%) of survey respondents reported losing their housing in Long Beach before experiencing homelessness, while 50.9% lost housing outside the city. Among people newly experiencing homelessness, an even larger proportion (61.9%) reported losing housing outside Long Beach, compared with 38.1% who lost housing within the city.

These findings highlight homelessness as a regional crisis, which demonstrate that many people living unhoused in Long Beach lost their housing outside the city's boundaries.

Expanding Services and Housing Opportunities
The City continues to strengthen its homelessness response through partnerships with more than 80 service providers participating in the Long Beach Continuum of Care. Guided by a Housing First approach, these efforts prioritize connecting people to stable housing while providing supportive services that promote long-term success.

Long Beach's shelter inventory increased from 1,357 beds in early 2025 to 1,521 beds by the end of 2025, an increase of 164 beds (12.1%). In 2025, the City expanded interim housing capacity through projects that added 90 new shelter beds, including Homekey at 5950 and the Youth Shelter and Navigation Center.

Programs and Investments
In 2026, the City launched the largest single investment in its history to prevent homelessness and increase housing stability. These efforts include state-funded encampment resolution work, as well as Upstream LB, the City's homelessness prevention initiative focused on helping residents remain stably housed and prevent a housing crisis that can lead to homelessness. Through Upstream LB, the City is providing rental assistance, housing stabilization services and focused support for community members most at risk of losing their housing. Key initiatives include:

• Encampment Resolution Funding efforts along the Los Angeles Riverbed, which are currently providing interim housing and permanent housing pathways for participants experiencing homelessness.
• The Long Beach Renter Aid Program, which provides short-term financial assistance to low-income renters experiencing financial hardship and risk of housing loss.
• The Older Adult Shallow Subsidy Program, which provides medium-term rental assistance to low-income older adults in Long Beach who are extremely rent burdened.
• The Right to Counsel Program, delivered through the regional Stay Housed LA initiative, provides legal services, tenant education and outreach to help low-income renters facing eviction remain stably housed.
• The Youth Homelessness Prevention Unit, launching in early fall 2026, provides proactive homelessness prevention services for transition-age youth (ages 18 to 25) who are at high risk of homelessness.

Affordable Housing Efforts

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Six affordable housing developments partly funded through The Long Beach Community Investment Company (LBCIC), the nonprofit arm of the City formed to increase housing availability and affordability in Long Beach, are under construction and expected to open in 2026 and 2027. Together these developments will bring an additional 375 units of affordable housing, including some with permanent supportive services for people experiencing homelessness. Beyond the LBCIC-funded developments, the Luma Point apartments with 163 affordable units are scheduled to open this summer.

How to Help
Residents can play a role in addressing homelessness by identifying people or areas in need of services. Connecting people with the appropriate resources is crucial to helping those in need achieve better outcomes for themselves and the entire community. To assist residents, the City has published a guide outlining who to call in different situations to connect people experiencing homelessness with the appropriate City resources and services.

Donation drop-off bins, implemented in early 2023, remain available at locations across the city, offering a convenient way for residents to contribute essential items that can make a meaningful impact. Bins are located at all open Long Beach Public Library locations during regular business hours, as well as at the locations below:

• Boys and Girls Club of Long Beach (3635 Long Beach Blvd.), Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Scherer Park Community Center, (4654 Pasadena Ave.), Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m.

For comparative data, community members can review the 2025 Homeless Count report. Please note Appendix A in the 2026 report that identifies a correction to the 2025 data.

For more information on the City's efforts to reduce homelessness in Long Beach, people may visit longbeach.gov/homelessness and follow @lbhealthdept and @longbeachcity on social media.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture, and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, the award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. More information about the Long Beach Health Department is available at longbeach.gov/health and on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lbhealthdept/), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/LBHealthDept/) and X (https://twitter.com/LBHealthDept).

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