2023 Homeless Count Shows a Continuing Reduction in People Experiencing Homelessness in Malibu
The Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority (LAHSA) announced the results from the 2023 Homeless Count, which showed a continuing reduction in people experiencing homelessness in Malibu. The Count took place in Malibu on January 25, 2023 with more than 20 volunteers participating, including members of the City’s Homeless Outreach Team, Homelessness Task Force, Public Safety Commission, and City staff.
Volunteers were assigned to a group that covered a particular census-designated area within the city limits in order to look for individuals, families, cars, RVs, tents, and makeshift shelters.
"The homeless crisis impacts everyone -- housed and unhoused," said Mayor Bruce Silverstein. "When I was elected to the City Council, one of my top priorities was to find ways to help reduce the number of individuals living unhoused in Malibu, and I am pleased to see that our efforts to assist unhoused individuals while making Malibu's public spaces more welcoming to our residents appear to be succeeding. We are indebted to the Sheriff’s Department, The People Concern, the Las Virgenes – Malibu Council of Governments, the Malibu Homelessness Working Group, the Homelessness Task Force, Malibu Community Assistance Resource Team (CART), and the community volunteers who have worked in partnership with the City to help in our efforts to achieve our objectives."
The raw data presented by LAHSA showed that there were 26 unsheltered people living in Malibu and 43 improvised dwellings, including 23 cars, 9 vans, 7 RVs and 3 tents, which together account for approximately 45 people, for a total of 71 unhoused individuals living in Malibu.
On July 13, 2023, City staff, the City’s Homeless Outreach Team, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and members of Malibu CART conducted another homeless count to observe patterns in the City’s homelessness trends since the January 2023 count and obtain an additional data set. The count found that an estimated 86 people are experiencing homelessness, a large part of whom are transient individuals commuting through the City to other locations while 38 are engaged with services provided by the City’s Homeless Outreach Team.
Since 2017, when the City started tracking the data, the City’s homeless population has continuously declined as follows:
- 2017 – 178
- 2018 – 155
- 2019 – 154
- 2020 – 239
- 2021 – 157*
- 2022 – 81
- 2023 – 71
*LAHSA Count was cancelled, but an informal count was conducted
The 2023 results reflect the continuing effectiveness of the City’s proactive approach to addressing homelessness in partnership with the Homeless Outreach Team, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the community at large. The City began contracting for homeless outreach services in 2017, beginning with two outreach workers and expanding in 2020 to include a housing navigator. City staff will continue the partnership to ensure continued homeless outreach success.
For more information about the City’s efforts to address homelessness, contact Public Safety Liaison Luis Flores at lflores@malibucity.org or call 310-456-2489, ext. 236 or visit www.MalibuCityorg/Homelessness.