Volunteers for the Homeless Count checked in at Television City, which served as a logistical base for the count in the local area. (photo courtesy of Television City)

Last week, local officials and volunteers banded together for the annual Homeless Count, which aims to assess the number of people living on the streets in Los Angeles County. The work provides a benchmark for the county as attempts are made to curb the housing crisis.

When Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was elected, her first act was to declare a state of emergency for homelessness in the city. The year since has seen the launch of the Inside Safe program, which helps get those living in encampments into housing. The results of the Homeless Count, which will not be reported for several weeks, will be the first major indicator of the program’s effectiveness.

“Homelessness is an emergency, and it will take all of us working together to confront this emergency,” Bass said.

Television City in the Fairfax District hosted volunteers who participated in the Homeless Count for the Mid City West Neighborhood Council. The studio’s vice president of community relations Adeena Bleich coordinated the staging area for officials and volunteers on the lot.

“I think homelessness, along with the housing crisis – which goes hand in hand – is probably our top crisis right now facing our city. I think most Angelenos would say that,” Bleich said. “I don’t think that any entity has a right to only feel that the government has to fix such a large systemic complex problem. The only way we’re going to solve it is if everybody gets involved.”

Bleich explained that Michael Hackman, who owns TV City, is committed to philanthropic endeavors and solving communal issues in the neighborhood, the city and the county.

“We should all be here to contribute and do our part,” she added.

L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, 3rd District, participated in the count throughout the week. The supervisor is also the chair of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

“We’re grateful to all of the volunteers who showed up because we wouldn’t have been able to do any of the work without them,” Horvath said, noting that some sites had more volunteers than others and that the county will use feedback from participants to help make improvements next year. The TV City site, according to Bleich, had just under 100 volunteers. Horvath also said that, having previously been a West Hollywood City Council member, she hopes that they will be able to give a final number to the public in a timely manner.

“[We are] making sure that we are working with our local government partners to get that information to them more quickly, and to have them involved in how we deliver that information to the federal government is something that we are doing now and will be different this year,” Horvath said.

Los Angeles City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, 13th District, joined Horvath in helping to count in his district.

“It was great to join Supervisor Horvath in Hollywood with community partners like Hollywood 4WRD, The Center, SELAH and more,” Soto-Martinez said. “An accurate count means we can secure all the resources we need to address this issue for good.”

West Hollywood Mayor John Erickson said that he has been participating in the count, first as a community member and later as a member of the City Council, for over 10 years.

“I’ve seen both the highs and the lows of when we do this critical work,” Erickson said. “West Hollywood is dedicated to being a solution-oriented city and tackling the regional crisis that is homelessness. That’s why we bought the Holloway House and continue to invest funds into those programs. And it is the No. 1 issue along with community safety and housing that I talk to residents and businesses about every day.”

The city is in the process of converting the former Holloway Motel site into temporary housing for homeless individuals. He said the work of the city’s social services agencies, along with community members coming together and providing feedback, is key to finding solutions to the problem.

“I appreciate all the people who volunteered to help with the program,” West Hollywood Councilman John Heilman said. “Estimating the number of homeless people on a particular evening is important for the county to estimate the need for shelter beds and permanent affordable units are needed to meet the need.”

Bleich noted that the Homeless Count shines a light on “the crisis of our time.”

“[We need to] keep people thinking about it, and also [keep them] thinking about how they can participate [in the solution],” she said.

Television City was one of several staging locations across Los Angeles County for the Homeless Count. (photo courtesy of Television City)