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Thousands Of Volunteers Needed To Count LA's Homeless
Photo by jimmay bones via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
Thousands of volunteers are still needed to help count homeless people on the streets and in the shelters of L.A. County. Los Angeles is considered to have "the highest street homeless population in the country, with as many as 50,000 people on any given night," notes the LA Times per the county Homeless Services Authority.
A more accurate count, mandated every two years by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, is needed to help officials determine resource allocation for our city's homeless population. The next tally will take place Jan. 25-27, 2011 in Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley, east L. A. County, South Bay, Antelope Valley and Santa Monica.
Over 4,000 volunteers are needed and each must be trained before deployment throughout the city. A website called They Will Count You is set up with information about "exactly what volunteers can do to help and how to sign up," reports the LA Times.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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