Hollywood Groups To Hold Their Own Homeless Count

HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA) - The Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council and several local organizations are conducting a volunteer homeless count in Hollywood Thursday evening.

The groups, including Hollywood4WRD and the Center in Hollywood, will share the count with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), which typically conducts winter homeless counts but did not this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

LAHSA announced in December that following guidance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, "there is no safe way to gather the 8,000 volunteers necessary to conduct the 2021 (point-in-time) count and collect data as accurately as it has done in previous years."

To prevent volunteers from congregating during the pandemic, the participants of the Hollywood count must complete mandatory training online before the event, and everyone will conduct the count in their cars.

"We will make this year count because it is critical to understand how the homelessness crisis changes every year -- especially during a pandemic," the organizations said on the event page. "To ensure the well-being of everyone involved, we have thoughtfully crafted a way to make the volunteer experience different so it will be safe per pandemic guidelines."

Volunteers will conduct the count between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Thursday. Registration for the event has ended, but people can learn more about it here.

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)