Pasadena’s 2026 point-in-time homeless census logged 577 people experiencing homelessness, essentially unchanged from last year. For the first time in five years, though, fewer people were sleeping outside. The one-night snapshot suggests more people are landing in shelters and motel rooms even as officials warn that tightening budgets could undercut those gains.
The numbers
According to the Pasadena Homeless Count, the city’s one-night tally found 577 people on the night of Jan. 21 and 22. Volunteers recorded an approximate 6% drop in the unsheltered population and a 7% rise in the sheltered population. As reported by Pasadena Now, volunteers counted about 322 people sleeping in unsheltered locations and 255 people in shelters, transitional housing or voucher-paid motels. The sheltered total was a 10-year high, and motel placements doubled compared with 2024.
Methodology and volunteers
Roughly 200 volunteers and outreach workers canvassed 28 geographic zones using a GIS-enabled mobile survey app and also counted people at branch libraries and service sites. The City of Pasadena said volunteers distributed cold-weather kits, while the Pasadena Public Health Department and Huntington Hospital provided vaccines and Narcan during the effort. Homeless Count Coordinator Christina Kasali said, “The community response has been incredibly encouraging,” in the city’s news release.
Who was counted
Every unsheltered person counted was a single adult, and no families with minor children were found sleeping outside during the 2026 tally. Families made up roughly 47% of the sheltered population. More than half of those surveyed said they had last been housed in Pasadena and had lived in the city an average of 21 years before losing housing.
The Eaton Fire is still visible in the data. About 29% of unsheltered respondents said the fire affected them and 9% said it directly caused their housing loss, Pasadena Now reported.
Funding crunch could complicate gains
The modest shift toward shelter is landing just as the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved an $843 million spending plan for the new Department of Homeless Services and Housing in February. The plan included nearly $200 million in reductions to existing programs, according to LA County HSH and reporting by LAist. County officials cite rising shelter costs and the expiration of one-time federal and state grants as key drivers, while advocates warn the cuts will hit outreach and prevention. Local providers say smaller county allocations could squeeze Pasadena’s motel placements and shelter budgets if funding is not restored.
What comes next
City staff say the Point-in-Time results and a broader Annual Count planned for later this summer will guide Pasadena’s use of HUD, HOME and ESG grant dollars and shape upcoming council decisions. Advocates and service providers will be watching both the county budget process and local spending choices, including Pasadena’s draft plan for roughly $4.7 million in federal community-development funds, as covered in Pasadena’s $4.7 million housing and street push. The city and local nonprofits say they plan to keep prioritizing placements and prevention, even as they brace for a leaner funding year.
