Homelessness on LA Metro system decreases for second consecutive year
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) on Aug. 3 announced a 57% decrease in the number of people experiencing homelessness on the transit system since 2024, the second consecutive year of significant progress.
The 2026 point-in-time count found 31% fewer people experiencing homelessness in the transit system than the previous year, L.A. Metro officials said in a press release. The count estimates 395 to 517 unhoused individuals on L.A. Metro trains and affiliated property compared with 631 to 684 in 2025 and 1,041 to 1,092 in 2024. The results underscore the effectiveness of L.A. Metro's integrated public safety model, which combines care-based services with coordinated law enforcement and security to improve safety and connect vulnerable individuals with housing and supportive services, L.A. Metro officials said. In January 2026, L.A. Metro’s Department of Public Safety launched its Care-Based Services Division, bringing together L.A. Metro Ambassadors, the Homeless Outreach Management and Engagement program, and Community Intervention Specialists under a single division. In fiscal-year 2026, L.A. Metro’s outreach teams connected 354 individuals to permanent housing. The Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, led by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, was conducted between Jan. 20-22, 2026; the L.A. Metro count took place on January 20. The L.A. Metro-specific results included stations, rights-of-way and parking lots.