After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Los Angeles County Homeless Authority to cancel its annual homeless count in January, local grassroots organizations have stepped in to count those who remain unhoused and ensure they are not forgotten.
The Midtown Los Angeles Homeless Coalition, which has partnered with the Mid City West Community Council since 2015 to conduct the annual homeless count in the Melrose and Fairfax districts, Beverly Grove and the Miracle Mile, is planning to hold its own count on March 31. Modeled after a similar effort in Hollywood on Feb. 25, the Midtown Los Angeles Homeless Coalition’s count will help gauge the severity of the problem, organizers said. Volunteers are needed and online training is provided.
On March 31, the volunteers will go out in small teams of two or three people and drive around the neighborhoods counting people who are unhoused. The numbers will help inform nonprofits about the level of services needed to help the homeless population, and they could be used to show where more public funds and resources should be allocated. Organizers plan to also share the information with public officials.