Homelessness increased in Los Angeles this year following two previous years of declines, according to the recently released 2026 “point-in-time” homeless count. It’s a setback for the region, and for L.A. Mayor Karen Bass who’s touted prior declines as evidence that her approach to addressing the homelessness crisis is working. But is it really? On this episode of Imperfect Paradise, LAist reporter Aaron Schrank examines how the count is conducted, why it matters so much, and who’s responsible for its results.

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Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

Homelessness increased in Los Angeles this year following two previous years of declines, according to the recently released 2026 &ldquo;point-in-time&rdquo; homeless count. It&rsquo;s a setback for the region, and for L.A. Mayor Karen Bass who&rsquo;s touted prior declines as evidence that her approach to addressing the homelessness crisis is working. But is it really? On this episode of Imperfect Paradise, LAist reporter&nbsp;<a href="https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/la-homelessness-rose-in-2026-official-count-shows">Aaron Schrank</a> examines how the count is conducted, why it matters so much, and who&rsquo;s responsible for its results.
Grow your business&ndash;no matter what stage you&rsquo;re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at <a href="http://shopify.com/paradise">SHOPIFY.COM/paradise</a>
Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

Imperfect Paradise is LAist's weekly on-demand news magazine show that pulls back the curtain and dives deeper into the biggest and most consequential SoCal stories of the week from our newsroom. New episodes drop every Friday.

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

Imperfect Paradise is LAist's weekly on-demand news magazine show that pulls back the curtain and dives deeper into the biggest and most consequential SoCal stories of the week from our newsroom. New episodes drop every Friday.
Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.