LA District 10 homelessness expanded by nearly 30 percent over the past year, marking one of the sharpest spikes in the entire city of Los Angeles and highlighting worsening conditions in areas like Koreatown. According to a Korea Daily analysis of the 2026 Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) Homeless Count, Council District 10—which encompasses parts of Koreatown, Wilshire Center, Mid-City, Mid-Wilshire, MacArthur Park, and Pico-Union—saw its unhoused population jump from 633 to 820 individuals, an increase of 29.5 percent.
Dramatic Spike in Unsheltered Street Population
The surge in District 10 was overwhelmingly driven by street-level homelessness. While the sheltered population grew by 19.9 percent (from 277 to 332), unsheltered homelessness soared by 37.1 percent, jumping from 356 to 488 people.
Concurrently, makeshift street structures—including tents, RVs, vans, and makeshift encampments—increased by 29.9 percent, rising from 485 to 630 locations.
Citywide, Los Angeles registered 19,598 unhoused individuals across all 15 council districts. District 14, which encompasses Downtown Los Angeles and Skid Row, recorded the highest concentration with 4,892 people—representing roughly one in four unhoused residents in the city. District 10 ranked 8th overall, accounting for approximately 4.2 percent of the city’s total unhoused population.
Key Factors Behind the Rising LA District 10 Homelessness Numbers
Local service providers point to compounded economic and social pressures driving the sudden increase. Pastor Moody Koh of Father’s Table Mission, a non-profit organization serving free meals near Skid Row, noted that daily demand has escalated rapidly.
“We serve breakfast to about 300 people every morning, but this year we have seen roughly 50 more people joining the line,” Koh said. “Persistently high inflation, strict immigration enforcement, and federal and state budget cuts targeting low-income families appear to be pushing more people onto the streets.”
While LA County saw an overall homelessness increase of 1.2 percent (reaching 73,040 people) and LA City recorded a 3.4 percent rise, District 10’s unsheltered growth rate of 37.1 percent was nearly five times higher than the citywide unsheltered average of 7.9 percent.
Local service providers point to compounded economic and social pressures. Pastor Moody Koh of Father’s Table Mission, a non-profit organization serving free meals in Skid Row, noted that daily food requests have surged.
Political Implications for the Upcoming Mayoral Election
The localized surge in homelessness arrives at a critical juncture as Los Angeles prepares for the upcoming mayoral election in November.
Local media outlet LAist noted that the renewed rise in homeless figures places significant political pressure on Mayor Karen Bass. Conversely, critics such as LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman have openly questioned the efficacy of Mayor Bass’s flagship “Inside Safe” initiative, calling for a comprehensive review of current homelessness policies across the city.
By Eunyoung Lee
