BEVERLY HILLS—On January 24, the city of Beverly Hills with the assistance of over 60 local volunteers, city staff, officers from the Beverly Hills Police Department and Beverly Hills Ambassadors partook in the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s (LAHSA) Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count.
The annual homeless count is part of a county-wide effort to understand and address the issues of homelessness. The Beverly Hills team gathered at the “deployment center” inside City Hall and were dispersed to mapped-out territories throughout the region. From 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., the Beverly Hills team counted 15 homeless individuals, one make shift shelter and one van. In 2017, the number of homeless individuals counted was 22, which is a decrease of 7.
According to a press release from the city of Beverly Hills, Human Services, CLASP, the Police Department, Park Rangers and the Ambassadors provide regular reports on transient activity in the City’s parks, parking structures, resident areas and business district to keep a pulse on homelessness throughout the year.
“We attribute the homeless count decrease to the City’s innovative collaborations and partnerships,” said James Latta, Human Services Administrator. “The City’s Human Services division works with the Chronic Homeless Assistance Team (CHAT), comprised of the City’s Police and Fire departments and the City Prosecutor, to coordinate services and concentrate resources on the most severely ill homeless individuals who suffer from mental health, physical health and/or substance abuse. In addition, the City’s Changing Lives and Sharing Places (CLASP) homeless outreach team focuses on intensive case management. Also, the Human Services Division holds a monthly Homeless Collaboration meeting with faith-based organizations in the City, City Librarians, City parking staff, Park Rangers, Ambassadors and other community organizations to coordinate homeless service efforts,” says Latta.
Beverly Hills started participating in the LAHSA’s official count 2009, when 42 homeless individuals were reported. LAHSA’s three-night street counting effort consisted of 166 deployment sites and over 8,600 volunteers. Count numbers are reported to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and impacts federal funding directed to Los Angeles County.
Residents can support the City’s Community Partners that provide the social service safety net for Beverly Hills’ vulnerable community members. For additional information, contact Jim Latta with the Human Services Division, (310) 285-2535 or jlatta@beverlyhills.org.
