Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
By LILY TINOCO | Reporter
Corpus Christi Church filled with enthused volunteers Wednesday night, January 22, for the annual Homeless Count in Pacific Palisades.
The Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count is a three-day census of individuals and families experiencing homelessness. LA’s count is the largest in the United States, with more than 8,000 volunteers counting 2,160 census tracts.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development and other federal agencies use the data generated in the count to determine funding allocations that provide services and housing to the homeless population.
“The homeless count is a visual count and allows a different perspective of homelessness, you’re seeing that there’s a lot of homeless youth, there are a lot of families, a lot of children,” Marisol Lara, coordinator for LAHSA’s Advisory Groups, said to the Palisadian-Post. “It’s vital to be able to know what resources we need, where funding needs to go and just allowing the community to be involved in this fight to end homelessness.”
This was the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness’ sixth time conducting the count since forming in 2015. To date, the task force has helped a total of 109 individuals get off the streets and into housing.
Wednesday night began with opening remarks from PPTFH Homeless Count Committee Chair Kim Clary and new LAPD Commanding Officer of the West LA Area, Captain Jonathan Tom.
“There’s aspects of enforcement that we have to do, but what we call a ‘whole government’ approach, which includes community organizations, is really the key to success,” Tom said. “You guys are the model moving forward for the rest of the city, and I just want to thank everyone for what you do.”
A total of 63 volunteers worked the evening—an increase from last year’s 49—and more than half of the group were newcomers. Clary added that it was nice to see so many new people get involved.
Friends Edwina Hunter and Tamara Senegal came all the way from Carson and Hawthorne to participate in the Palisades Homeless Count.
“I like volunteering and it’s important because everybody deserves somewhere warm to stay,” Hunter said. “I work close to here, so I said I’d come out and help.”
Volunteers were then divvied up into 11 teams and made their way to the streets, from Will Rogers State Beach to Castellammare, taking count of encampments, tents, vehicles and individuals.
The raw data from the Homeless Count is given directly to LAHSA, where it is used for geographic studies and formulated to eventually come up with a total number of individuals.
“As has been the trend in the Palisades … in general, the overall numbers of individuals experiencing homelessness were down from last year,” Clary shared after the count.
The official numbers from the count will not be available until spring or early summer.
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