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Los Angeles City Hall looms over a nearby homeless encampment. | Photo courtesy of Ron Reiring/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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The Los Angeles City Council Friday declared a week in January as “Homeless Count Week 2024,” in an attempt to raise awareness and encourage residents to volunteer for the upcoming three-day Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count.
Council members voted 12-0 to approve a resolution marking the occasion, as well as encourage city workers, and residents, to volunteer for the count in their respective communities. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority is set to conduct its annual homeless count, a point-in-time snapshot of homelessness throughout the city and county of LA, next week from Jan. 23- 25.
Council members John Lee, Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Katy Yaroslavsky were absent during the vote.
The resolution was introduced by Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who chairs the council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee, and Council President Paul Krekorian on Jan. 12.
Prior to the vote, Raman said she is often asked how people can help on the issue of homelessness, and her response has “always been to get active.”
“There’s an easy way to do that next week — joining the upcoming Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count every January here in LA,” Raman said. “We walk or drive the streets and count people who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness across part of the city.”
She added, “Thousands of Angelenos volunteer every year and this data is critical because it helps us get the resources we need from the federal government.”
According to Raman, there are many volunteer sign-ups, and more volunteers are needed, particularly in the San Fernando Valley.
“Whether you’re a first time volunteer or you do this every single year, it’s easy, it’s safe, and it’s straightforward, so I encourage you to join us to find a count,” Raman said.
To find a count event, visit theycountwillyou.org, enter a zip code and the website will locate the nearest place to you.
Councilwoman Imelda Padilla, who represents the 6th District, encompassing neighborhoods in the northeast San Fernando Valley, underscored the significance of the count.
LAHSA reported a decrease in homelessness in the 6th District after the 2023 count, but Padilla said, if you live in the district, you can see the data is inaccurate.
“My observation and my critique is that it probably showed lower numbers because there wasn’t a council member in the 6th District to recruit folks for the volunteer event,” Padilla said.
She added, “We need as many volunteers as possible. We all take this seriously because if there’s one thing we’ve observed is that the homelessness crisis is pricey. So to go after those (federal) dollars, let’s make sure we have the accurate data.”
