Every year, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) conducts a census of the homeless population of L.A. County through the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. The Count affects county, state, and federal funding for L.A.’s homeless and pinpoints where help is most needed. At least 8,000 volunteers are needed to canvas more than 80 cities and 200 communities across L.A. County.

The count will be held on January 22, 23, and 24, 2019. We are concerned in particular with the count for our area, South Los Angeles, which will be held on Thursday, January 24.

The count usually begins at 8:00 pm and runs until 11 or 12 pm. Some volunteers go to existing shelters to count. Most volunteers will be assigned to a team of three: a driver, a navigator, and a counter. Each team usually covers one census tract, for which they are given a map. An average census tract contains 39 city blocks. The teams do not interact with the homeless, only count them from a distance. There are about a dozen Deployment Sites for South Los Angeles. When you sign up you can pick one in your neighborhood or one in an area you are interested in.

The link to volunteer is:

TheyCountWillYou.org

Below is the full list of areas to be covered in the count, in case you want to volunteer outside of South Los Angeles:

Tuesday, January 22: San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, & San Gabriel Valley

Wednesday, January 23: South Bay/Harbor Cities & East and West Los Angeles County 

Thursday, January 24: Antelope Valley, Metro Los Angeles, & South Los Angeles County