Baldwin Park homelessness plunged 35.7% between 2024 and 2025, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority reported this month. The 2025 Point-in-Time Count recorded 108 unhoused individuals in Baldwin Park, down from 168 in 2024. This drop far outpaces a 4% decline across Los Angeles County and a 7.4% decrease in the San Gabriel Valley region (LAHSA).
Homelessness decline outpaces county
Baldwin Park has cut its homeless population by roughly 80% compared with five years ago. In 2020, the city reported 550 individuals experiencing homelessness. After a pandemic hiatus in 2021, counts resumed with 275 in 2022, 188 in 2023 and 168 in 2024. The steep 2025 reduction marks the city’s most dramatic year-over-year fall to date (Baldwin Park). Across the county, LAHSA’s 2025 count tallied 72,308 people experiencing homelessness, down 4% from 2024.
Innovative housing-first initiatives
City officials credit Baldwin Park’s Homeless Reduction Initiatives for the sustained decline. Mayor Alejandra Avila praised the impact of tiny-home villages and bridge housing. Esperanza Villa, opened in 2021, provides 25 non-congregate shelter beds. Serenity Homes, launched in 2022, offers 16 bridge-housing units for families with children. Both sites deliver case management, meals, transportation, job placement and health services.
“We are extremely proud of the meaningful progress we’ve made in reducing homelessness in Baldwin Park,” Avila said. “These numbers further demonstrate the effectiveness of our award-winning Homeless Reduction Initiatives and motivate City officials to continue our efforts to address homelessness throughout the region.”
Strategic partnerships and support services
The City Council has strengthened the social safety net with strategic policy decisions and investments. Baldwin Park has partnered with local nonprofits, faith-based groups and county agencies to expand outreach and shelter capacity. The city allocates Measure A and federal grant funds to hire outreach teams that connect unsheltered individuals with permanent housing opportunities and support services.
Wraparound services are central to the strategy. Baldwin Park contracts with service providers to offer mental-health counseling, substance-use treatment and job-training programs. Officials say these supports help residents stabilize and transition to permanent housing more quickly than shelter-only approaches.
“We won’t rest until every person in our community has a place to call home,” Avila added. “Baldwin Park is building a model of what’s possible when cities invest in long-term solutions.”
Challenges and future outlook
Despite these advances, challenges remain. LAHSA data indicate that unsheltered homelessness in Los Angeles County decreased by 9.5%, but many cities still struggle with encampments and limited shelter beds. Baldwin Park aims to scale its successful projects and explore new funding sources, including state-administered programs under California’s Homekey initiative.
City Manager Maria Santos said officials are pursuing additional bridge-housing sites and examining land-use policies to accelerate the development of affordable units. “Our next step is to integrate permanent supportive housing into our long-range planning,” Santos said.
Community advocates urge continued vigilance. “While these results are promising, we must sustain momentum and address root causes like mental-health access and affordable rents,” said Rosa Hernandez, director of the San Gabriel Valley Coalition to End Homelessness.
Baldwin Park’s approach offers lessons for neighboring cities. By combining housing-first solutions with robust support services and strategic partnerships, the city has far outpaced regional declines. As Baldwin Park works to expand its model, its experience may guide broader efforts to reduce homelessness across Southern California.
