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To Count All The Homeless People In LA, You Need To Ask Homeless People For Help

Two tents in Hollywood erected beneath the 101 Freeway during a January rainstorm. (Matt Tinoco/KPCC)
Two tents in Hollywood erected beneath the 101 Freeway during a January rainstorm. (Matt Tinoco/KPCC)
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At the end of every January, thousands of volunteers try to count how many homeless people there are in Southern California. Getting an exact number is virtually impossible, but organizers of the massive effort have some expert helpers — people who are homeless, or who used to be. KPCC’s housing reporter Matt Tinoco has the story.

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