Thousands of volunteers to deploy for 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count

Newsom directs additional funds for homelessness

Governor Gavin Newsom announced nearly $420 million are headed to LA, San Francisco, and San Diego to help fight homelessness. This comes just days before the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority's annual count of those who are unhoused. 

LOS ANGELES - The annual Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count begins this week as hundreds of volunteers mobilize to provide a point-in-time snapshot of homelessness across the region.

Timeline:

The three-day operation starts Tuesday night with volunteers fanning out across the San Fernando Valley and metro Los Angeles area. 

At 7 p.m. Tuesday, LAHSA interim CEO Gita O'Neill will provide remarks at a news conference at the Inner City Law Center to mark the start of the count. 

Simultaneously, the Hollywood Partnership will host a "Hollywood pit stop" deployment at 7:30 p.m.

SUGGESTED: Volunteers urgently needed for LA's annual homeless count

On Wednesday, the count continues with volunteers moving into the San Gabriel Valley and East Los Angeles. 

The operation will wrap up on Thursday in the Antelope Valley, West and South Los Angeles, and the South Bay/Harbor region. 

Results from the tally are expected to be released by LAHSA in late spring or early summer.

What we know:

The tally covers most of the region within the LA continuum of care, excluding the cities of Long Beach, Pasadena, and Glendale, which conduct their own independent counts. For the fourth consecutive year, the agency is using an app-based data collection process.

To improve accuracy, LAHSA has simplified training materials and improved mapping. 

The agency is also coordinating with the county's department of health services and emergency centralized response center to provide staff support for "special consideration" areas. 

SUGGESTED: Newsom directs additional funds for homelessness

These include rugged or inaccessible locations such as basins, creeks, and deserts that are considered too dangerous for community volunteers to enter.

What they're saying:

Several local leaders are scheduled to participate in the kickoff event, including City Councilwoman Nithya Raman, chair of the housing and homeless committee, and Amber Sheikh, LAHSA commission chair. 

Other expected participants include Daniella Urbina, a senior advisor to LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis, Adam Murray, Inner City Law Center CEO, and Martin Holguin, liver experience advisory board treasurer.

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Regarding the Hollywood-specific efforts, Kathleen Rawson, CEO of the Hollywood Partnership, and City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez will lead the "Hollywood pit stop" event.

What's next:

Beyond the general street count, the processes for the housing inventory and youth counts have been overhauled to generate larger samples. 

The youth count, focusing on those aged 10 to 19, will be extended over nine additional days to improve response rates. 

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Additionally, the housing inventory count will begin earlier than in previous years to allow for a more thorough data review and validation process before the final results are published this summer.