LAHSA Announces 2022 Homeless Count Postponement
LAHSA Announces 2022 Homeless Count Postponement
In an effort to protect the health and safety of volunteers, people experiencing homelessness, and staff in the midst of the COVID-19 Omicron variant surge in Los Angeles County, we announced today the postponement of the 2022 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count to February 22-24, 2022.
The Homeless Count will still be conducted over three nights in different parts of the region:
· February 22, 2022: San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys
· February 23, 2022: West Los Angeles, Southeast Los Angeles, & the South Bay
· February 24, 2022: Antelope Valley, Metro Los Angeles, and South Los Angeles
Our Executive Director, Heidi Marston, said: “While we work to ensure an accurate Homeless Count, we cannot ignore the surging number of positive COVID-19 cases across our region,” said LAHSA Executive Director Heidi Marston. “Even with safety precautions such as moving training online, developing outdoor deployment sites, and keeping households together, moving forward with a count in January places our unhoused neighbors, volunteers, staff, and the accuracy of the Count at risk.”
Even with these precautions, LAHSA understood that the ongoing pandemic might make volunteers feel uncomfortable with counting their unhoused neighbors. To ensure the most accurate count possible, LAHSA requested the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) permission to hold the Homeless Count in late February.
With the new dates, LAHSA will continue to implement policies and practices that limit the amount of in-person contact during the Homeless Count.
We still need your help!
Please reconfirm your participation!
If you have already registered to be a volunteer we ask you to please reconfirm your participation. Be on the lookout for an email from the Homeless Count Team.
Our COVID-19 Safety Measures
LAHSA baked COVID-19 safety into this year’s Count. Even before the Omicron variant led to a surge, LAHSA made several anticipated design changes to the 2022 Homeless Count to limit COVID-19 transmission, including:
·Moving most deployment sites outdoors; at many sites, volunteers will not leave their cars to pick up their count packets
·Moving training sessions online to minimize the time volunteers spend at the deployment sites; COVID safety instructions are included in the training
· Encouraging all volunteers to sign up a sign up as a “safety bubble” of 2-3 people and arrive at the deployment sites together to minimize cross-group interactions
· Encouraging participants to be vaccinated
· Providing personal protective equipment
· Requiring volunteers follow public health guidelines including, the use of hand sanitizers, use of masks at all times, and practicing social distancing
· Staying home if they feel ill on the day of the count or if they came in contact with anyone who tested positive of COVID-19 in the past two weeks
These practices and policies will still be implemented during the new dates of the Homeless Count.
Do you have any questions?
Use the button below to familiarize yourself with the Homeless Count, the Homeless Count App, and COVID-19 Safety Precautions.