Annual homeless count Wednesday 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.
By Staff Writer
The City of Santa Monica will conduct its annual street-by-street enumeration of homeless individuals on the night of Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019.
Santa Monica’s participation is in conjunction with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and communities across the county in conducting a count. Santa Monica’s count is performed by over 300 volunteers with a total of 7,500 volunteers committed countywide January 22 –24.
“This annual count is a vital tool in establishing annual homeless priorities and is especially important this year as the region copes with a growing homeless crisis. Homelessness increased by 4 percent throughout the county with a 4 percent decrease in Los Angeles County. The City has made a $1.4 million additional investment in homelessness focused on proactive and compassionate engagement,” the City of Santa Monica said in a statement.
The count begins at St. Monica Catholic Community Grand Pavilion at 10:30 p.m. with a kick-off event and training. Volunteers then deploy from St. Monica’s in teams to cover every area of the City by foot and by car to conduct a visual count of people sleeping in public spaces. At the same time, homeless individuals will be counted in shelters, transitional programs, local area hospitals and other overnight facilities.
Notable volunteers include Mayor Pro Tempore Terry O’Day, City Manager Rick Cole, Assemblymember Richard Bloom, SMPD Chief Cynthia Renaud, SMFD Chief Bill Walker, and Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Laurel Rosen.
For more information and to sign up, visit https://www.santamonicahomelesscount.com.
