Redondo Beach Seeks Volunteers For 2025 LA County Homeless Count

REDONDO BEACH, CA - With Los Angeles County’s annual Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count fast approaching, Redondo Beach officials are looking for volunteers.

The massive count, which covers over 4,000 square miles, is scheduled to start on Jan. 21 and will travel throughout the county until Jan 23.

The massive undertaking will require thousands of volunteers split into 8,000 shifts throughout the count. Volunteers will be split into groups of four to “tally the number of unsheltered individuals, tents, vehicles, and make-shift shelters they see in their assigned census tract,” according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

Locals can register to volunteer at this link. Individual volunteers will be paired with teams, or volunteers can register in groups. Volunteers are generally needed for between three and four hours, including a brief training. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old.

"Last year's Homeless Count marked the first decrease in street homelessness that Los Angeles has seen in years," said LAHSA CEO Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum. "As we gear up for this year’s count, community support is crucial. We need thousands of volunteers to join us in counting our unhoused neighbors so we can better understand where they are, the services they need most, and what it will take to bring them home."

In 2024, the LAHSA opted to provide breakdowns per service planning area, or SPA, rather than a city-by-city breakdown. In SPA 8, which includes the entire South Bay from the Harbor Area to El Segundo to Inglewood, a total of 5,428 people were counted as unsheltered in 2024.

Redondo Beach made headlines last year after the 2024 count revealed the city achieved Functional Zero Street Homelessness. To achieve Functional Zero, the number of people placed in housing must be greater than the number of people who became homeless over a six-month period.

“The community of Redondo Beach, in partnership with local governments and the state, is stepping up and showing what is possible when we all work together to address homelessness,” said Governor Gavin Newsom of the achievement.

Last year’s homeless count estimated there were 75,312 people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County, a 0.27 percent decrease from 2023, according to LAHSA. Last year was the first time the county's homelessness fell in years.

The results of this year’s count will likely be released in late spring or early summer 2023.