Solis Leads Efforts to Extend Los Angeles County Shelter Crisis Declaration Through 2026
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today approved a motion introduced by Chair Pro Tem and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis to extend the County’s Shelter Crisis Declaration through November 1, 2026. The extension reaffirms the County’s ongoing commitment to address the urgent needs of unhoused residents and expand access to interim and permanent housing.
The motion recognizes that homelessness in Los Angeles County remains a public health and safety crisis that requires continued action and flexibility to provide lifesaving shelter and services.
“Every person deserves the basic dignity of a safe place to sleep,” said Chair Pro Tem Solis. “Extending the shelter crisis declaration allows the County to continue cutting through red tape, accelerating housing and service delivery, and ensuring we are doing everything possible to bring our unhoused neighbors indoors.”
Los Angeles County remains home to the largest number of unsheltered residents in the nation. According to the 2025 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, an estimated 72,308 people are experiencing homelessness countywide, with nearly 47,000 living unsheltered. Although this represents a 4 percent decrease from 2024, homelessness continues to pose an immediate threat to the health and safety of thousands of Angelenos.
Since proclaiming a local emergency on homelessness in January 2023, the County has launched four mission areas focused on encampment resolution, housing, mental health and substance use services, and eviction prevention. These efforts have been strengthened by local, state, and federal partnerships, including investments through Project Homekey and Project Roomkey, which have added hundreds of interim and permanent supportive housing units across the region.
Under the State of California’s Shelter Crisis Act, extending the County’s declaration enables the County to designate public facilities for temporary shelter and suspend certain regulatory barriers that would otherwise delay the creation of safe, habitable spaces for people experiencing homelessness. It also ensures continued compliance with state requirements to maintain minimal public health and safety standards for emergency housing.
“This action ensures that we can continue to respond quickly to protect lives,” added Chair Pro Tem Solis. “This is not just about policy, it is about compassion, urgency, and the shared responsibility to uplift our most vulnerable residents.”
The Board of Supervisors first declared a shelter crisis in 2018 and has extended it annually in response to ongoing homelessness trends. The declaration aligns with the County’s broader emergency response to homelessness and supports implementation of the County’s Homeless Initiative, housing development, and encampment resolution efforts in coordination with local jurisdictions.
