By Mary O’KEEFE

Across Los Angeles County, volunteers, city workers and law enforcement participated in the 2023 Homeless Count.

The annual count is conducted through the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). The count includes unsheltered, youth and housing inventory counts (a census of people living interim and permanent supportive housing). The youth count was conducted on Jan. 21 through Jan. 31 and the Housing Inventory Count on Jan. 25.

The unsheltered count began on Jan. 24 in the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys. The unsheltered count began on Thursday, Jan. 26 in the morning and evening hours in Glendale. CVW volunteered on Thursday’s evening count.

A training session was sponsored by the City prior to the actual count. During the day and night sessions of the count, participants met with the City’s Homeless Services personnel and matched with Glendale police officers.

In the CVW group, Alfred Hernandez, lead outreach case manager for Ascencia, was the driver and educator. The “counters” climbed aboard a minivan and followed the officers, who were driving their own vehicle. The officers knew where many of the unsheltered were located and as the minivan traveled, Hernandez shared stories of those he has encountered in Glendale.

He pointed out a couple of areas where unhoused individuals who had passed away were discovered. He also shared stories of those he has reached out to in the past in an attempt to get them shelter; however, some would rather stay on the streets and many were dealing with some form of mental illness.

Once an unhoused person was encountered and agreed to participate in the survey/count, the volunteer asked a series of questions recorded on an LAHSA app. The questions included how long the person had been unhoused, what services s/he were receiving, what services s/he would like and how long s/he has been in Glendale.

In one encounter, an individual said s/he had come to the City because s/he had attended school in Glendale. S/he traveled from one city to another, getting services where they could be found.

Hernandez, who shared his personal story of homelessness, not only seemed to know many of those unhoused in the City but understood that people find themselves homeless for a variety of reasons. He made a point that even though it may be impossible to reason with people with mental illness, it is important to show respect and empathize with their struggle.

At the end of the 2023 count a report will be prepared including all the data collected. The 2022 Glendale homeless count report showed that 103 individuals participated in the unsheltered survey. Of those 103, 65% were men and 24% were women with 11% choosing not to respond as to gender. The majority had been in Glendale more than 10 years. Most women counted were between 35 and 54 years old, whereas most men were over 62. In last year’s count, 38% were White, 11% were Black, 10% Armenian, 6% Asian, 3% multi-race and 2% native/Alaskan. Of those counted, 32% did not identify with what race they identified. Seven out of 15 people, or 14%, were experiencing homelessness for the first time as a senior; that is, 62 years old and older.

Only a small portion, 2.9% of respondents, indicated they were veterans. Of those who responded to the survey, 18% identified as having at least one health challenge, including 9% who indicated they had some form of mental illness; 10% were physically disabled and 1% had HIV/AIDS. Sixty-six percent indicated they lived on the street/outside, 22% were staying in some type of vehicle, 6% housed themselves in a tent, 2% stayed in a bus or train station and 1% was in a motel – 3% did not respond to this question, according to the City’s report.

A similar report will be prepared for the recent 2023 survey.

“Every year City of Glendale conducts the annual ‘point-in-time’ homeless count of all sheltered and unsheltered populations experiencing homelessness. The purpose of the homeless count is to collect accurate data to help decision makers understand trends, measure progress and meet needs in the Glendale community. Glendale’s homeless count is part of a nationwide effort to provide a ‘snapshot’ of homelessness on a single day each year. The U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires local jurisdictions to conduct the point-in-time homeless count every other year (usually during the last 10 days of January) to receive Continuum of Care (CoC) funding for homeless programs. As one of more than 400 jurisdictions that submit an annual application to HUD for CoC funding, City of Glendale has opted to conduct the ‘point in time’ homeless count each year,” stated the City of Glendale in the report.