LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles County’s annual homeless count began Tuesday night, a crucial part of the region’s efforts to get tens of thousands of homeless people off the streets.
Up to 6,000 clipboard-carrying volunteers from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority fanned out for the main component of the effort, the unprotected street count.
The so-called “point in time” count will take place over three days and aims to estimate how many people are homeless and what services they may need, such as mental health or drug addiction treatment.
Los Angeles County’s count is the largest among similar counts in major cities across the country. The count, which also makes use of demographic surveys and housing counts, is mandated by the federal government for cities to receive certain types of funding.
This year’s recount comes amid public outrage over the perceived failure, despite costly efforts, to reduce the growing population of people living in cars, tents and makeshift street shelters.
The 2022 count reported that more than 69,000 people were homeless on a given night in Los Angeles County, an increase of 4.1% over 2020. About 42,000 were within the city of Los Angeles. Angeles, where public frustration has risen as tents proliferate on sidewalks and in parks and other locations.
The 2021 count was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Karen Bass, the new mayor of Los Angeles, joined Los Angeles city and county officials to start the count in the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley.
“Frankly, the only way we’re really going to handle this crisis is if we all have our skins in the game, and that’s what tonight is: skins in the game,” Bass said at a news conference.
The count also began in the San Gabriel Valley east of downtown.
On his first day in office last month, Bass declared a state of emergency due to homelessness. The mayor, a Democrat, has said that in her first year she intends to move more than 17,000 homeless people into temporary and permanent housing.
The Los Angeles County City Council, City Council and Board of Supervisors have said they intend to work together to address the crisis. Progress hasn’t been apparent despite billions spent on programs to curb homelessness, including $1.2 billion in the city’s current budget.
Homelessness remains highly visible throughout California with people living in tents and cars and sleeping out in the open on sidewalks and under freeway overpasses.
Homeless count results are expected to be released in late spring or early summer.
