Judge's monitor cites progress, but unreliable homelessness data

A federal court monitor said Los Angeles County is making progress toward meeting its obligations under a landmark homelessness settlement but raised concerns about whether the data supporting those efforts can be trusted, according to a new report.

The report, submitted Tuesday to U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, was prepared by Special Master Thomas M. Goethals, a retired California appellate justice. He evaluated the county's compliance with its settlement agreement with the LA Alliance for Human Rights. It requires the provision of supportive services - including mental health care, substance abuse treatment and outreach - for people living in public spaces.

The matter is part of broader litigation that stems from a 2020 lawsuit by the Alliance, alleging that the city and county officials failed to adequately address the region's homelessness crisis, leading to separate settlement agreements that impose distinct deadline obligations on each entity. LA Alliance for Human Rights et al. v. City of Los Angeles et al., 2:20-CV-02291 (C.D. Cal., filed Mar. 10, 2020).

In related proceedings, Carter previously found the city in interim breach of its settlement over deficient data and reporting. He appointed a monitor - an order the city has appealed, leaving verification efforts stayed while the appellate court considers the challenge.

In the new report, Goethals noted that the county has continued expanding resources, including adding hundreds of treatment beds tied to mental health and substance abuse and reporting that it is on track to meet upcoming milestones.

According to the report, the county said it ended 2025 "ahead of the December 2025 milestone of 1,800 new beds and is on track to meet the December 2026 milestone of 3,000."

But the report repeatedly questions whether those figures can be independently verified - a concern Carter has raised throughout the post-settlement phase of the case.

"The problem is this: how can Judge Carter, or his special master, determine whether the numbers provided by the County are accurate without personally visiting every listed location, interviewing administrators and residents, and then comparing the data in the report with the actual numbers we find on the ground?" Goethals wrote.

Last June, Carter warned: "Without accurate data, the public is left to rely on the assurance of public officials who have already presided over repeated reporting failures," a concern that Goethals said also applies to the county.

The county is represented by Mira Hashmall of Miller Barondess, LLP, who said in an email Thursday, "In the March 31, 2026 report, Special Master Thomas Goethals recognized the County's ongoing efforts to address the homelessness crisis, including the successful launch of the new Department of Homeless Services and Housing, which the Special Master notes 'appears to have launched with the right leadership and direction.' The County has proactively offered to provide transparent, verifiable data on its progress in serving people experiencing homelessness across the City of Los Angeles. The County remains committed to working cooperatively with the Court and the Special Master to ensure full and continued compliance with its settlement obligations."

The Alliance's counsel at Umhofer Mitchell & King LLP were also unavailable.

Goethals' report also flags what he described as puzzlingly low referral outcomes based on his review of the data and what he sees on the ground. County data showed outreach teams made 121 referrals during a recent reporting period, but only a fraction resulted in accepted clients.

"It is difficult for me to understand how 44 teams of qualified outreach workers could generate only 57 successful 'client' referrals to DHS [Department of Health Services] during the entire three-month reporting period, particularly when the areas they serve are so densely populated" with homeless people, Goethals wrote.

"I can only conclude that either there are far too few referrals to and acceptances by DHS, or the statistics are unreliable. Whatever the problem is, these numbers remain unacceptable," Goethals wrote.

At the same time, the special master acknowledged signs of progress, including the county's creation of a new Homeless Services and Housing department and continued fieldwork by outreach teams. He described staff as diligent and motivated, and said those efforts appear to be moving in the right direction.

The report stresses that compliance under the settlement requires not just activity, but verifiable results. Goethals urged the county to improve the transparency of its quarterly reports and provide documentation detailed enough for independent validation.

While the county's obligations differ from the city's - which is responsible for housing and encampment reduction - both defendants face ongoing scrutiny over compliance with their respective agreements.