County Prepares for Another Homeless Count

Volunteers are needed to help the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority get an accurate count of the number of homeless people in the area next year, according to its website.

The biennial in Los Angeles County—a project that made its way to Hermosa Beach last year—deploys teams of volunteers to survey locals living on the streets or in shelters.

Volunteers now can sign up online to help with next year's count.

During the countywide initiative last year, about 6,788 homeless people were counted in the South Bay. A Patch reporter at the time participated in the Hermosa Beach count, writing:

"For those who are at the center of this project, this week’s count, with its renewed attention on the homeless, is just one more thing to endure.

A 58-year-old man named Al, who would tell Patch only his first name, said that he often sleeps under the Hermosa Beach Pier with several other homeless people. 

He was among those included in Wednesday night’s count, and he expressed hope that the count could boost local programs and lead to a nearby homeless shelter.

An army veteran who was once married and went to college in Oregon, Al grew up in Redondo Beach and was an erstwhile musician before his marriage and life fell apart and he began living on the streets, he said. 

After decades of being homeless, he survives on the generosity of strangers and food banks and wherever he can find shelter.

'We’re all raised here in the South Bay,' said Al as he motioned to a pair of homeless friends named Jeff and Gary who sat with him near the Pier. 'My parents had a house in Redondo since I was 2 years old.' "

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