PREVIEW

Los Angeles Calls on Volunteers for Annual Homeless Census. NBC reports that thousands of volunteers will take part in an effort to capture a snapshot of Los Angeles' ongoing homeless crisis. The city's Homeless Services Authority will conduct the three-day Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. The count will include volunteers covering approximately 4,000 square miles of Los Angeles County to tally the number of people currently living on the streets. "Over the next three days, thousands of dedicated volunteers will hit the streets of Los Angeles County to gather data that will drive our efforts to bring our unsheltered neighbors indoors." "With 40,000 Angelenos unhoused, this is an emergency that requires both unity and urgency so we can get big things done together." Stephen David Simon, Interim Executive Director of LAHSA, via NBC. The count began on January 23 in Los Angeles' San Gabriel and San Fernando valleys. On January 24, volunteers headed to West Los Angeles, Southeast Los Angeles and communities in South Bay. The January 25 count will take place in Metro Los Angeles, South Los Angeles and the Antelope Valley. NBC reports that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires a biennial point-in-time count of the number of homeless people. Data from the homeless census is reportedly used to develop strategies to address the homeless crisis and determine the allocation of funds. The count in 2023 highlighted a 9% increase from the year before, revealing that 75,518 people were homeless across the county. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT