Aside from minor glitches, the 2024 Greater Los Angeles County Homeless Count finished last week as planned, with counts this week in census tracts that had not been completed, and work with demographers at USC continuing through March, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) reported.
LAHSA reported some minor challenges with the smartphone app used in the field by volunteer counters, related to how quickly the data was transferred from the field to a dashboard monitored by LAHSA officials, the agency said.
“This challenge did not affect the collection or storage of the data,” the agency reported.
Also, some volunteers had trouble using the app during the nightly counts. When that happened, the volunteers counted by putting pen to paper for each homeless person spotted in an encampment, doorway, on the street or in a makeshift dwelling or vehicle. The paper tallies were input to the database as soon as volunteers arrived back at their deployment sites, LAHSA said in a statement.
Calls from volunteers having trouble were placed on a technical support hotline and were answered by LAHSA staffers.
Kelsey Myers, a senior media strategist with Esri, the company that produced the app for LAHSA, said in an emailed response on Monday, Jan. 29: “The issues that occurred were related to the assignment of volunteers to specific areas. There was no delay in the data transfer from the app to the dashboard.”
While LAHSA put out requests on social media sites for 8,000 volunteers to cover the 4,000 square miles of L.A. County, it reported that 5,700 volunteers fanned out from Jan. 23 to Jan. 25.
“I want to thank all of the volunteers, community members, elected officials, LAHSA staff, partner agencies, service providers, and stakeholders who came out and made this possible. We could not do this without every one of you,” said Va Lecia Adams Kellum, CEO of LAHSA, in a prepared statement. LAHSA oversaw the annual count and is responsible for reducing homelessness.
While the call for volunteers aims for a maximum number, the actual number usually falls below that aspirational figure. Most said this year’s volunteer total was sufficient.
“I was glad to hear LAHSA successfully recruited a high number of volunteers to count people experiencing homelessness,” said Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger and a member of the LAHSA Commission in an emailed response. “That tells me community members are engaged and interested in helping make a difference.”
Barger went counting with a team and had a firsthand look at homeless individuals on the streets. “Undeniably, there continues to be a lot of suffering on our streets,” she said. “There’s a lot of work left to do.”
Third District Supervisor and LAHSA Commission Chair Lindsey Horvath counted in North Hollywood, Venice and Hollywood. “This year’s homeless count was a reminder of how much more work there is do to, and how impactful we can be when we work together in our neighborhoods,” she said in a statement.
If volunteers want to stay involved, Horvath suggests they volunteer with a local homeless services agency or consider a full-time job with LAHSA or other county partners.
Also, professional clothing is needed for those who go on job interviews. Donations are being accepted at Chrysalis, a nonprofit focused on tackling poverty that collects donations in four locations: Downtown Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Orange County and Santa Monica. For donation locations and hours, go to: https://www.changelives.org/donate-goods/.
Results of the homeless count are expected to be released in late spring or early summer, Kellum said.
