Starting today, thousands of volunteers will fan out across Los Angeles County to count every unhoused person as part of the annual Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count.
Led by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) the effort provides government agencies with crucial data to better understand and address the region’s homelessness crisis.
The count was originally scheduled for last month but was delayed due to the recent wildfires. Now, each night from Feb. 18 to Feb. 20, volunteers will set out across a 4,000 square-mile area of L.A. County to tally the number of homeless people currently living outdoors or in a shelter.
Here‘s what you need to know about the count.
What is the purpose of the count?
The point-in-time homeless count is conducted to track the number of people experiencing homelessness and create a report on its findings.
After the count is completed, the data is handed over to the USC School of Social Work. They analyze and visualize the data, then produce a report, which is typically released a few months later.
Government agencies use this data to gain a better understanding of the homelessness crisis and to measure the effectiveness of current policies. The tally has become even more pressing in light of the January wildfires that destroyed communities in Altadena and Pacific Palisades.
How are people counted?
Starting at 8:00 p.m. each night, volunteers who’ve signed up for the count are put in teams of three to four people who will work through the night to conduct a visual count of people experiencing homelessness across census tracts in the county. While on the field, volunteers will be on the lookout for those who appear to be experiencing homelessness and places where people might be sleeping.
With the use of the volunteer counting app, volunteers can tally how many people they see sleeping in encampments, RVs and other types of dwellings. No demographic data, like age, race or sex, is collected by these volunteers. The agency is seeking 8,000 volunteers to participate, but as of Monday night, only 4,452 volunteers had signed up for the count.
Are people in shelters counted?
Yes, a separate count of homeless people living in shelters will be conducted by LAHSA on Feb. 19. The data from this tally will be included in the final report.
What neighborhoods and cities are combed?
On day one of the three-day operation, volunteers will work across much of the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley and metro Los Angeles, which includes neighborhoods like Boyle Heights, Koreatown, Skid Row, downtown and other central areas.
Day two will have volunteers working in the San Gabriel Valley and eastern L.A. County in cities and unincorporated regions like East L.A., Montebello, Pomona, Pasadena, Whittier, Paramount and Vernon.
On the last day of the count, volunteers will log unsheltered people living across the Antelope Valley, West L.A., the South Bay and coastal areas like Santa Monica, Palos Verdes and San Pedro.
What were the results of last year’s count?
In 2024, the count estimated 45,252 people were unhoused in the city of L.A. at the time of the January tally. Overall, 75,312 people were estimated to be unhoused countywide.
The tally also showed the city of Los Angeles saw a 10% drop in the number of unhoused Angelenos living on the streets and a 17.7% increase in sheltered individuals.
Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to direct state agencies to clear encampments across California, yet it is unclear at this time if the order will impact the results of the count.
When will the results of the count be published?
According to a spokesperson for LAHSA, the report based on the data collected from the count is expected to be released in late spring or early summer.
I want to volunteer. Is it too late?
No, the deadline to register is one day before each count is scheduled to take place, and all volunteer training materials are available online. Volunteers can participate in one night of the count or all three, according to reporting from LAist.
While some neighborhoods, like CD 14’s Skid Row and unincorporated East L.A., have surpassed volunteer needs, some neighborhoods need more help. As of Friday morning neighborhoods like Highland Park, Lincoln Heights, El Sereno and Boyle Heights have room for more last-minute volunteers.
People interested in volunteering can register and learn more at: theycountwillyou.org.