Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

Housing and Homelessness

LA-area homeless count rescheduled to February

Four people, including one wearing a safety vest, huddle on a street corner at night. The street sign reads "Glendon Av."
Volunteers Megan Imundo, Emilie Nordhues, Con Howe and Dylan Sittig map out their route for the 2023 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count in Westwood.
(
Samanta Helou Hernandez
/
LAist
)

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

Topline:

The annual L.A.-area homeless count will now take place in mid-February, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority announced Tuesday.

Why now: The count had been scheduled for this week but was delayed because of the wildfires. It is now set to happen Feb. 18 through 20.

Why it was postponed: The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority said earlier this month that disruptions and evacuations caused by the recent fires would compromise the accuracy of the data and the safety of participants and volunteers.

Support for LAist comes from

Statement from LAHSA: "The safety of our volunteers and unsheltered neighbors is vital," said LAHSA CEO Va Lecia Adams Kellum. "We are grateful for the flexibility and understanding of our partners and volunteers as we strive for a safe count."

The goal: Data from the Point-In-Time Count is used to inform city and county authorities about the unhoused population and help them make decisions about policies, programs and funding.

What's next: It remains unclear whether the delay will affect the count. LAHSA usually releases the results of the homeless count to the public in late spring or early summer.

LAist reporter Aaron Schrank contributed to this report.

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist