LOS ANGELES – According to data released earlier today, the total number of deaths of unhoused people in the City of Los Angeles decreased from 1,167 deaths in 2022 to 900 deaths in 2023, representing a 22.9% decrease. However, it is unacceptable for any unhoused Angeleno to lose their life on the streets of Los Angeles. The data was compiled by Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia and obtained from the LA County Medical-Examiner Coroner.
“Every death that occurs is a tragedy and we express our condolences to those friends, family and community members who have lost a loved one due to this crisis,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “The focus of our work has been to take urgent action to save lives and while the Controller’s data released today indicates a decrease in deaths, we know that there is still much more to be done.”
In 2023, tent encampments came down in every council district and thousands more Angelenos came inside than in 2022 thanks to action locking arms with the City Council, County and LAHSA. This week, the City of Los Angeles conducted two Inside Safe operations that brought more than 40 unhoused Angelenos inside. The operations were conducted in East Hollywood and Shadow Hills in the San Fernando Valley. The Mayor has worked to improve services provided for unhoused Angelenos coming inside and has also been vocal about the need to make homelessness programs more cost effective as this urgent work continues.
Los Angeles is also building more housing rapidly to confront this crisis. Earlier today, Mayor Bass expanded Executive Directive 3 to use publicly-owned land to build more housing faster and to address RV encampments by increasing the City’s capacity to tow, store, and dismantle surrendered vehicles. More than 14,000 units of affordable housing are now being accelerated as a result of her executive directive to streamline their development. Mayor Bass first signed Executive Directive 3 in February 2023.
Click here to view the map released this morning by City Controller Mejia.