Santa Monica to Conduct Annual Homeless Count; 250 Volunteered

The City of Santa Monica will conduct its annual street-by-street enumeration of homeless individuals on the night of January 25, 2017,This annual count helps assess the City's efforts in addressing homelessness, and will be held in conjunction with other counts throughout the region taking place next week.

The count starts at St. Monica Catholic Community - Grand Pavilion - 725 California Avenue, Santa Monica. Mayor Ted Winterer and City Council, City Manager Rick Cole, Assemblymember Richard Bloom, Fire Chief Bill Walker, the Police Department, the Human Services Division, 250 community volunteers, and supporting organizations listed at bottom will participate.

"Every year, Santa Monicans volunteer their time to get a count of Santa Monica's homeless population. The Count begins at St. Monica Catholic Community Grand Pavilion with a kick-off event and training. Volunteers then deploy in teams to cover every area of the city by foot and by car to conduct a visual count of people sleeping in public places. At the same time, homeless individuals will be counted in shelters, transitional programs, local area hospitals and other overnight facilities," says a City press release.

"This is the most important event of the year to garner a strong understanding of the scope of homelessness in Santa Monica as well trends over time. Past counts demonstrate a reduction in homelessness since the City's 2008 adoption of the Action Plan to Address Homelessness, as well as changes in locations where homeless people are found throughout the city. Results are included in the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority's Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. Los Angeles County's 4,700 square miles requires three nights (January 24-26) and over 7,500 volunteers to count every census tract."

"The count results help the City understand trends among the City's homeless population, adapt local homeless service programs, comply with HUD and local stakeholder requirements; and raise public awareness about the issue of homelessness."

"The City of Santa Monica thanks the sponsors shown on the attached list for making the Homeless Count a successful community event each year. To learn more about the City's efforts to address homelessness, visit: http://www.smgov.net/homelessness. To learn more about the count, visit http://www.santamonicahomelesscount.com/.

The City of Santa Monica would like to acknowledge the following organizations for their support:"

Courtyard Marriott, Dagwoods Pizza, Fromin's Delicatessen & Restaurant, Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton, Innovative Dining, Neli's Catering, Pacific Park Rustic Canyon Family of Restaurants, Santa Monica Travel & Tourism (SMTT), St. Monica Catholic Community, The Lobster, City of Santa Monica – Office of Sustainability and the Environment, City of Santa Monica – Water Resources Division