By Lookout Staff

February 3, 2025 -- The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) is seeking volunteers for the February 20 homeless count in Santa Monica, which was postponed due to the wildfires that burned across the region last month.

The three-day countywide count -- which was previously run locally by the City -- was taken over by LAHSA last year, resulting in a drop in both the number of volunteers and homeless individuals counted.

"We're facing unprecedented challenges this year, so the success of the Homeless Count depends now more than ever on community involvement," said LAHSA CEO Lecia Adams Kellum. "We urge everyone who can to join us as a volunteer."

The annual census kicks off Tuesday, February 18 in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys and Metro Los Angeles, followed the next day with counts in the San Gabriel Valley and East Los Angeles.

The census concludes on Thursday, February 20 in the Antelope Valley, South Los Angeles, South Bay/Harbor and West Los Angeles, which includes Santa Monica.

Volunteers in Santa Monica will gather for the count at 8:30 p.m. at St. Monica Catholic Church, 725 California Avenue. According to LAHSA's website, the agency is requesting 26 volunteers in Santa Monica to join the county-run effort.

To volunteer or learn more, visit www.theycountwillyou.org.

Last year, a total of 99 volunteers recruited by the County took part in Santa Monica's homeless count, according to data provided by LASHA.

That was less than one third of the approximately 300 volunteers who in recent years combed every street in Santa Monica -- a total of 226 linear miles -- to tally homeless individuals sleeping outdoors, as well as in cars, RVs and tents.

Last year, a total of 774 homeless individuals were counted in Santa Monica, a decrease of 52 people that was likely an undercount hampered by a precipitous drop in volunteers and technical glitches ("Few Volunteers, Tech Glitches Hamper Homeless Count," January 29, 2024).

It was the first time City officials did not run the annual census or recruit volunteers ("Homeless Population Drops in First County-Run Count," June 28, 2024).

"In past years the numbers recorded in Santa Monica’s local count have sometimes differed from the numbers released by LAHSA," which uses the same methodology across the region, City officials said when the results were released in June.

City Manager David White said after the count that "our partnership with LAHSA will allow us to present results in a regional context and this collaboration is part of Santa Monica’s strategic push to coordinate with regional service providers for a holistic approach to addressing homelessness."

The glitches and low number of volunteers will likely once again heighten skepticism that the homeless census -- a four-hour snapshot taken on one night each year -- accurately reflects Santa Monica's highly visible and transient homeless population.