2009 Homeless Count a Success; Three Thousand Participate in Continuum-wide Street Count

The 2009 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count took place on January 27, 28 and 29. More than 3000 volunteers participated in the LAHSA-coordinated street count, which is the largest homeless census in the nation. The Count used 54 deployment centers and covered approximately 13,000 miles of road continuum-wide. Volunteer teams counted homeless people in 754 census tracts, 40% more tracts than the previous Count in 2007.

"LAHSA extends our most sincere thank you to everyone who assisted with this year's Homeless Count," said LAHSA Executive Director Rebecca Isaacs. "Thousands dedicated volunteers spent one, two, and sometimes three evenings to help with our study. Other community members donated extra time to serve as deployment site coordinators and trainers. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Office of Mayor Villaraigosa, the Los Angeles City Council, and numerous advocacy and community organizations donated space, assisted with volunteer recruitment, and made other contributions. It was heartwarming to encounter so many Angelenos willing to take action to help address homelessness here in the City & County of LA."

Nationally, homeless agencies conduct HUD-mandated Counts every two years. LAHSA expects results from the 2009 study the end of October 2009.