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Frequently Asked Questions Why is a homeless count being conducted? Why is the Count in late January 2007? Why is the Count scheduled over three days? How many people are needed to help conduct the Count? As a volunteer, what can I do? Can I get paid to work on the Count? How long will the Street Count take? What about safety during the Count? How do I sign up to volunteer? How can I get more information? This effort helps us understand the extent of homelessness in Los Angeles County, the
characteristics of the homeless population and most importantly, helps us measure the
impact of efforts to end homelessness. In addition, we anticipate having to provide the
federal government with the count of homelessness in LA County in our 2007 application
for federal funding for homeless programs. Last year our application yielded $60 million
in funding for community-based programs serving homeless people throughout Los Angeles County. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will be using our count to arrive
at a national estimate of homelessness. To reduce the risk of counting people more than
once, HUD is asking all jurisdictions to conduct their counts in late January. This timeframe
was selected to provide consistency to the national data HUD receives from CoCs and because,
in most regions of the country, it is the time of the year when shelter use peaks. Counting
and interviewing people sleeping in public places during the winter months may lead to a
more realistic picture of chronically unsheltered homeless people, those most resistant to
using services. In addition, winter is the season when people are most concerned about the
ability of homeless people to survive. A count on one of the coldest nights of the year can
be very effective in raising public awareness of the challenges faced by homeless people
without shelter. With over 4,000 square miles and more than 10 million residents, Los Angeles is the largest
urban county in the nation. Even with hundreds of volunteers, it is not feasible to cover
the entire region in a single night. Using the County's Service Planning Areas (SPAs), the
enumeration effort will be coordinated so that two to three SPAs will be enumerated each night. Yes. For this study, we are using the general definition of homeless individuals, as described in
Section 103 of the Stuart B. McKinney Act (42 USC 11302), which states that the term "homeless"
includes an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and an individual
who has a primary nighttime residence that is (a) a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter
designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters,
and transitional housing for the mentally ill); (b) an institution that provides temporary residence
for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or (c) a public or private place not designed for,
or ordinarily use as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings. We need an estimated 1,500 people to help with this effort. The 2007 Greater Los Angeles Homeless
Count project has several parts: As a volunteer, what can I do?  All volunteers must attend the 90-minute LAHSA volunteer training session prior to the Homeless
Count, and will be screened for suitability. You can volunteer to be any of the following: Can I get paid to work on the Count? If you are currently a client of a LAHSA-funded service provider program, then you may qualify to get paid for working as an enumerator and/or as a survey interviewer. In order to qualify to work you must be a client in a program for a minimum of three months and be recommended by the program service provider. Individuals who are pre-authorized to work in these capacities will be paid by LAHSA $10/hour for their time as an Enumerator, and $5 per completed survey for interviewing homeless individuals. How long will the Street Count take? Prepare for a long night. We will start by meeting at deployment centers at 8 p.m. Teams will arrive at the census tracts to be enumerated by 9 p.m., and depending on the size of area to be covered, will complete the count sometime between midnight and 3 a.m. Enumerators are free to leave after their team has completed their assigned area, and returned their tally sheets to the Deployment Site Coordinator. The deployment centers will be open and staffed throughout the night, and coffee and refreshments will be provided. What about safety during the Count? Safety is emphasized above all concerns. All participants will work in teams, led by an outreach worker or other person with specific experience working with the homeless population, and general knowledge of the geographic area to be covered. Law enforcement officers in each area will be notified of the enumeration effort, and will be on call to assist in the case of any emergency. How do I sign up to volunteer? Thank you, Los Angeles, we now have the number of volunteers and paid enumerators we need to assist with our Count. We are now closing our registration. We appreciate your time and interest in supporting this important effort. How can I get more information? Please email your questions to the following: |
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