The City of West Hollywood is committed to providing comprehensive assistance to homeless members of the community. Each year, the City participates in the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s (LAHSA) annual homeless count, an effort to help improve the lives of homeless men, women, and children across the Greater Los Angeles area. LAHSA, in the past, organized the count on a bi-annual basis; beginning in 2015, the count became annual.

This year’s homeless count took place on the evening of Thursday, January 28, 2016. Deputies from the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station and members of the outreach team from PATH, People Assisting the Homeless, led teams of volunteers through the entire 1.9-square-mile area of West Hollywood. The City is grateful to the volunteers who helped to conduct the effort.

The 2016 Street Count Tally indicates a specific point-in-time count of 87 homeless people in the City of West Hollywood — this is an increase from past annual counts. The 2015 Street Count tally was 43 people; the 2013 Street Count tally was 45 people. The City’s Social Services Division has confirmed these numbers and submitted its report last night to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority for inclusion in LAHSA’s countywide assessment. The City will work with LAHSA to determine whether the increase in West Hollywood’s tally is unique to the City, or if the numbers reflect a trend across the region.

West Hollywood’s 2016 Street Count Tally confirms what community members and Neighborhood Watch groups have been communicating to the City in recent months — there has been an increase in the numbers of homeless people in the neighborhoods between Fairfax and La Brea Avenues. The count demonstrated that there were 48 homeless people east of Fairfax Avenue within the City’s geographic municipal boundaries — 35 people were counted north of Santa Monica Boulevard; 13 people were tallied south of Santa Monica Boulevard. The majority of people counted were male individuals over the age of 25; no families or encampments were seen in the count.

“The numbers revealed in this homelessness count are vitally important,” said City of West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath. “This data fundamentally informs the City about where resources are most needed and it empowers the City to respond in an effective manner in providing needed assistance to people in West Hollywood who are homeless.”

In response to the 2016 Street Count Tally, the City is enhancing its current efforts with a focused street-outreach response with teams from PATH, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, and the Friends Research Institute.

Each winter, the City of West Hollywood coordinates and prepares additional resources for wet-weather conditions. With this year’s El Niño forecasts of heavy rains and storm conditions, the City has been putting additional winter resources into place. The City works with LAHSA to connect people who are homeless to LAHSA’s Winter Shelter Program, which provides pop-up walk-in shelter resources in various locations throughout the Los Angeles area. These resources can be accessed for homeless people in West Hollywood through various street-outreach teams, through the City’s Social Services Division, or by way of the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station. In addition, street outreach teams are proactively providing information about the Winter Shelter Program and coordinating transportation or providing directions to the locations with bus tokens or transit passes.

The City of West Hollywood works closely with PATH (People Assisting The Homeless) and the Los Angeles LGBT Center to meet demand during winter conditions, as well. There are several resources for homeless individuals:

• The City contracts with PATH for 10 shelter beds (among other services);
• The City participates in PATH’s Hotel/Motel Voucher Program, which is an emergency bed option for homeless community members in crisis after hours and on the weekends and includes transportation;
• The City has a partnership with the Los Angeles LGBT Center, which provides shelter and services for at-risk youth; and
• The City assists with connecting people to local alcohol and drug residential programs and transitional (sober) living facilities, which provide treatment, shelter, and wraparound services.

For people who are homeless in the community who decline access to indoor accommodations, outreach teams provide other assistance such as food and hygiene kits, as well as blankets, socks, and other emergency supplies.

The City of West Hollywood provides information regarding resources on its website at www.weho.org/services/social-services/homeless-shelter including a downloadable document (PDF) with comprehensive information about emergency shelter options.

For additional information about the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s (LAHSA) annual homeless count or if you become aware of someone who needs shelter or services, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Social Services Division at (323) 848-6510. During nights or weekends, or if there is an emergency requiring immediate assistance, please call the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station at (310) 855-8850. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.