Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count Volunteer
Beginning Tuesday evening at 7:30 PM, thousands of clipboard-carrying volunteers will embark on Los Angeles County’s annual three-day “point-in-time” count of the homeless population.
Over the next few days, volunteers will fan out across the expansive county to get a snapshot of L.A.’s sheltered and unsheltered homeless population, which remains one of the largest in the country.
The count is not unique to Los Angeles — the federal government mandates a comprehensive biennial census of the homeless population, and the point-in-time counts are typically conducted across the country in late January. (Los Angeles is one of many communities that chooses to conduct its count every year instead of just every other year.)
The results “are used by government officials to determine funding priorities for housing and services, and by the public to assess how much progress has been made on stemming the tide of homelessness,” as my colleague Ben Oreskes writes. They are typically released in May or June.
[Read the story: “L.A. County is counting homeless people this week. Here’s everything you need to know” in the Los Angeles Times]
The 2019 count found 58,936 homeless people living in Los Angeles County and 36,300 living in the city of Los Angeles, which marked a substantial increase from the year prior.
How to volunteer
Volunteers are needed to assist with the count. Shifts take about four hours and, as Curbed LA’s Alissa Walker writes, “even if you think you know how homelessness is affecting your neighborhood, [volunteering for the count] will likely change the way you view the crisis.”
You can sign up to volunteer on Tuesday (San Gabriel and San Fernando valleys), Wednesday (West L.A., Southeast L.A. and the South Bay) or Thursday (Metro L.A., South L.A. and the Antelope Valley) here. https://www.theycountwillyou.org/volunteer
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