California Allocates $420 Million to Combat Homelessness Ahead of LA Count

New Funding for Homelessness Initiatives

• 💰 Governor Gavin Newsom has announced nearly $420 million in new funding directed towards Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego.
• 🎯 The funds are intended to aid in the fight against homelessness in these major California cities.

LAHSA's Annual Homeless Count

• 🗓️ The announcement comes just days before the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) conducts its annual count of the unhoused population.
• ⚠️ LAHSA is currently facing a significant shortage of volunteers, needing approximately 1,200 more for the upcoming count.
• 📍 Areas particularly in need of volunteers include downtown Los Angeles and parts of the northern county, East LA, and the San Gabriel Valley.

Importance of the Homeless Count

• 📊 The annual count provides crucial data that LAHSA shares with the federal government every other year.
• 🔑 Volunteers gather information to understand the unhoused population, which helps policymakers decide where to allocate resources effectively.
• 📈 The accuracy of the data collected can be impacted by the availability of volunteers.

Volunteer Role and Sign-Up

• 📝 Volunteers will be tasked with counting individuals, inhabited vehicles, and makeshift shelters, entering data into a database.
• 🚫 They are not responsible for surveying individuals.
• 💻 Those interested in volunteering can sign up at theycountwill.org.