Posted on 01/22/2024
ONE BIG THING: LA’S ANNUAL HOMELESS COUNT
What’s happening?
Each night from January 23-25, volunteers will gather in different locations across the city around 8pm and they’ll get trained on how to conduct the homelessness count. Right after, volunteers will be placed into groups and assigned to specific areas where they’ll walk or drive around and count the number of tents and unhoused people living on our streets.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) then combines that information with our shelter and temporary housing data to estimate as accurately as possible how many unhoused Angelenos are living in the city. Last year, the Homeless Count found over 46,000 unhoused people in the City of LA.
Why it matters
We use the Homeless Count to allocate local, state, and federal resources for homelessness. An accurate count means we can secure the funding and services we need to address this issue compassionately and sustainably.
For years, councilmembers would conduct sweeps right before the count to artificially lower the number of unhoused people reported in the district in an attempt to score political points when we all saw that the crisis was getting worse.
But now, the status quo is changing, and across the city, people are finally realizing that we need to know what we’re up against before we can solve the problem.
How you can help
District 13’s count is happening the night of Thursday, January 25th, but you can volunteer at locations across LA between January 23-25.
Two More Quick Hits!
1. Save the Date! CicLAvia is coming to Melrose Ave.
Join us for the *50th* Los Angeles Open Streets Event: CicLAvia—Melrose on February 25 from 9am-3pm! We are so excited to help host this amazing event that will bring safe, open streets to our community whether you’re walking, jogging, biking, roller skating, skating, or just spectating.
2. Hollywood Blvd Virtual Town Hall on February 1
What do you want the future of Hollywood Boulevard to look like?
Despite being one of the most iconic streets in the world, Hollywood Blvd was recently rated as the worst tourist attraction in the world, and it’s not just visitors who are disappointed. For years, Hollywood Blvd has been in the “high-injury network” of roads in our city, meaning that a disproportionate number of pedestrian injuries and fatalities happen on Hollywood Blvd.
Now, we have a chance to build a better Hollywood where people can walk, bike, and drive without fear of being seriously hurt or killed. But to do that, we need to hear from the community.
Join us February 1, 2024 for a virtual town hall with LA’s Department of Transportation to hear about potential options and to make your voice heard!
RSVP at ladot.lacity.gov/hollywood