BEVERLY HILLS─Dana Beesen, Publicist for the city of Beverly Hills indicated in a press release to Canyon News, that on January 22, a group of 60 local volunteers, city staff, officers from the Beverly Hills Police Department, the Beverly Hills Homeless Outreach Team 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 three night, County-wide effort to understand and highlight the issues pertaining to homelessness.

Count participants assembled in City Hall and were trained on count procedures, learned about homeless services in Beverly Hills and were deployed to several census tracts covering the entire city. A total of 17 homeless individuals and 1 recreational vehicle were counted by volunteers this year. Last year’s count consisted of 16 individuals, 1 recreational vehicle and 1 car.

Each day, about 130 people come out of homelessness, while another 150 fall into homelessness. The 2019 Homeless Count found a 12 percent increase in homelessness in Los Angeles County from 52,765 to 58,966 individuals, and a 19 percent increase from 4,401 to 5,223 individuals experiencing homelessness on the Westside of Los Angeles. Beverly Hills homeless count numbers continued to remain steady.

“We attribute this to innovative collaborations and partnerships,” said Rachel Evans, Human Services Clinical Program Coordinator. “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 homeless outreach team focuses on intensive case management. The City holds monthly Homeless Collaboration meetings with community stakeholders including faith-based organizations in the City, the Beverly Hills Homeless Outreach Team, Beverly Hills Public Library staff, City parking staff, Park Rangers, the Beverly Hills Ambassadors Team, and other community organizations to coordinate homeless service efforts,” says Evans.

Human Services, CLASP, the BHPD, Park Rangers and the Ambassadors deliver regular reports about homeless people in the city’s parks, parking structures, residential areas and business districts to stay attuned to homelessness throughout the year.