After thousands of volunteers walk the streets of Los Angeles County over the next three days to count those who are homeless, there are really two things the public wants to know: How many unhoused are there? And is that number higher or lower than last year?
While that is the main purpose, the 2024 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, along with separate, independently conducted counts in Long Beach, Pasadena and Glendale, includes a deeper dive into demographics such as last year’s notable rise in unhoused older adults within the county. The count will also mark homeless clusters, enabling more informed responses for shelter and services by city and county agencies.
The count, run by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), begins on Tuesday, Jan. 23 in the San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley and Santa Clarita Valley. On Wednesday, Jan. 24, volunteers will count in West Los Angeles, Southeast Los Angeles and the South Bay/Harbor area. Finally, on Thursday, Jan. 25, the counters will cover Antelope Valley and the city of Los Angeles central area, Hollywood and South Los Angeles.
On those three nights, thousands of volunteers will fan out across 4,000 square miles of L.A. County, counting unsheltered individuals in doorways, under freeway bridges, in cars, RVs, tents, encampments and temporary shelters.
A final tally and full report of the LAHSA count is expected in late spring or early summer. Meanwhile, expectations are running higher, in part because of the political emphasis by city, county and state leaders during 2023 to solve homelessness.
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The 2023 count showed a 9% rise in homeless individuals over the previous year, amounting to 75,518 people experiencing homelessness in L.A. County. The city of Los Angeles had a 10% jump, for a total of 46,260 homeless people, equal to the population of Encino.
Homelessness in the United States grew by more than 12% in 2023, for a total of 653,104 people without shelter.
This count comes…
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