Point-in-Time Count 2023 “David’s Count”
BYLINE: Kim Clary PPTFH Chair, Volunteer Committee
At 5 am on January 25, 40 eager volunteers arrived at Corpus Christi’s gymnasium to count people experiencing homelessness in Pacific Palisades. This year the count was called “David’s Count” in honor of David Morena, who recently passed away and who organized the previous counts along with his wife, Kim Clary.
After enjoying delicious hot cocoa, the volunteers received their team assignments, tract maps, and paper tally sheets before braving the cold to count homeless individuals, vehicles, tents, and makeshift shelters. Ten teams were formed, with at least one experienced counter on each team. We were very fortunate to have five LAPD officers on hand, including SLO Brian Espin, to join the teams in some of the more dangerous and hard-to-reach areas.
The Point-in-Time Count is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and takes place across the nation on a single day in January to provide a “snapshot” count of people experiencing homelessness. In Los Angeles, the count is sponsored by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and in Pacific Palisades, it is hosted and organized by PPTFH. PPTFH has been hosting the count since 2015, except for 2021, which was canceled due to the pandemic. The data from the count is used by HUD and other agencies to identify homeless individuals and where they live. The gathered data is used to determine needed resources and federal funding allocations.
This year, the raw data from the count shows the number of individuals, vehicles, tents, and makeshift shelters have decreased slightly from last year. This is due to the successful work of the PPTFH’s Volunteer Response Team and the outreach workers from The People Concern, all of whom work tirelessly to help our homeless neighbors.
LAHSA takes the raw data from this Point-in-Time Count, conducts demographic surveys, and determines a formula for how many people are living in tents and vehicles. Their final numbers will be available in June.
PPTFH sincerely thanks the volunteers who showed up early in the morning when it would have been so easy to stay in bed, our LAPD officers, and Carol Sanborn for organizing the use of the Corpus Christi Church gymnasium and for making the wonderful hot cocoa!
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