The 2022 Greater LA Homeless Count Coming To Marina Del Rey

MARINA DEL REY, CA — After a hiatus last year due to the pandemic, the 2022 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count is slated to happen this month, county officials said Thursday.

"Last year, the Count’s main component – the unsheltered street count – could not be conducted because the thousands of volunteers needed to cover Los Angeles County could not be gathered safely," officials said.

"While the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority is taking measures to ensure volunteers can count safely with minimal contact," officials said.

Now, it is more important than ever to gather accurate information on how many people are living without shelter.

“We are excited to conduct the 2022 unsheltered count," LAHSA Executive Director Heidi Marston said. "It is an essential component in getting vital information that helps us provide an accurate picture of the state of homelessness in Los Angeles and deliver services where they are most needed."

Since 2016, the Los Angeles Continuum of Care, overseen by LAHSA, has conducted an unsheltered street count annually in order to better understand homelessness across Los Angeles County. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires that a count be conducted every other year.

Given the size of Los Angeles County, volunteers will spend three nights counting in different parts of the region:

• Jan. 25: San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys
• Jan. 26: West Los Angeles, Southeast Los Angeles, the South Bay
• Jan. 27: Antelope Valley, Metro Los Angeles and South Los Angeles

The 2021 Housing Inventory Count and Shelter Count, two portions of this year’s count that could be conducted safely, found that the LA region’s shelter capacity on any given night was 24,616 beds, a 57 percent increase over the last three years. LAHSA also reported 33,592 permanent housing options, an increase of 16 percent over the same time period.

In 2020, when the count last happened, 66,436 people were found to be living on the street in tents, makeshift dwellings and vehicles.

How To Volunteer

LAHSA continues to seek volunteers to count in January. Those interested can visit theycountwillyou.org for more information and to register.

Volunteers can expect a variety of protocols before beginning the count.

“As COVID-19 continues to be a presence in our community, we are working under local public health guidelines to ensure the safety of our volunteers, staff, and our unsheltered neighbors,” Marston said. “We are encouraging all participants to take all necessary precautions to ensure their safety.”

Homeless count deployment sites will utilize different COVID-19 precautions, including outdoor distribution of materials, requiring all volunteers and staff to wear masks, directing participants to maintain social distance, and making personal protective equipment (PPE) accessible to all participants.

While volunteers are encouraged to register as teams to avoid unnecessary exposure to one another, LAHSA is also encouraging volunteers to be vaccinated and/or show negative test results in case they do intend to work with other volunteers outside their respective bubbles. Visit the individual event page regularly (theycountwillyou.org) for updates on safety guidelines.

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