Volunteers gathered in the parking lot at Television City before heading out to count unsheltered people in the community. (photo by Edwin Folven)

Approximately 60 people walked and drove around the Miracle Mile, Beverly Grove and Beverly-Fairfax districts on Feb. 18 tallying the number of people they saw who were unhoused and unsheltered on the streets as part of the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count.

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority conducts the annual homeless count throughout the county, working with volunteers from different communities who canvass specific neighborhoods looking for people who are unhoused. The Mid City West Neighborhood Council has organized the count in the local area for approximately 10 years. Television City allows the neighborhood council to use its parking lot as a staging area, where volunteers gathered before heading out into the neighborhoods. Mid City West Board member Julian Stern has organized the council’s count for the past few years and said it is encouraging to see people getting involved in the community.

“My dad ran a homeless outreach center. I grew up just outside D.C. in Maryland. I would volunteer at the shelter and I’ve just always been around that my whole life,” Stern said. “I’ve lived in L.A. for 14 years now and … I knew that the problem [of homelessness] was always there and I recognized that it was getting more visible. I said, ‘this is something that I’ve been a part of my whole life, why am I not trying to help?’ That’s why I’m involved. I think the neighborhood council’s role is to be the touch point between anybody who lives here and all of the other forms of government.”

Volunteers canvassed neighborhoods for approximately three hours on Feb. 18, covering the communities between La Brea Avenue to the east, Willoughby Avenue and Romaine Street to the north, La Cienega Boulevard and the Beverly Hills and West Hollywood borders to the west, and Olympic and San Vicente boulevards to the south. The volunteers use a smartphone app to tally the number of unhoused people they see, and the data is transmitted directly to LAHSA. There is no interaction between the volunteers and the people they count. Stern said the neighborhood council coordinates the local count but does not have access to the data. However, he said multiple volunteers reported seeing fewer people than they expected.

“What I was hearing more often than not was, ‘we didn’t see a lot,’” Stern said. “We don’t know the numbers, but that is a good sign.”

Volunteer Shem Bitterman, a longtime resident of the Beverly-Fairfax area, canvassed neighborhoods between Fairfax Avenue and Gardner Street, and Beverly Boulevard and Rosewood Avenue.

“We walked our district and it was a cool and pleasant night. From what I heard, it sounded like there were fewer unhoused people in the area. We only saw two adults. And from hanging around after with the neighborhood council, it seems like other people are also, anecdotally, seeing fewer people,” Bitterman said.

Volunteers are required to go out in groups of two or more for safety. Bitterman was paired with Josh Davis, an Echo Park resident who participated in earlier homeless counts but joined the Mid City West count for the first time. Both Bitterman and Davis said the homeless count is a community-serving experience that is rewarding.

“It’s always good to see people coming out and mobilizing for this effort. A shout out to all the council districts and different neighborhood councils that set everything up. They just do an amazing job,” Davis said. “I’ve [counted in] North Hollywood and Burbank before, and both of those went really smooth. It’s a good experience.”

The 2025 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count is being held over three days from Feb. 18-20, with counts in West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles, South Los Angeles, the South Bay and Harbor areas and the Antelope Valley occurring on Feb. 20. LAHSA will analyze data from regions throughout the county and will release totals later this year, typically in June. LAHSA is required to conduct the count by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the data is used to determine funding and resources. It also identifies areas of need in communities and is used to plan strategies to address homelessness.

“This year’s homeless count demonstrates the power of community action to transform lives,” LAHSA CEO Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum said. “Alignment between LAHSA, the city and the county on addressing homelessness has been key to our progress. We must continue strengthening this collaboration to continue our success.”

“Last year’s count showed that the collaboration and dedication … are beginning to yield results. After years and years of increases, thanks to our new approach to this crisis, we brought homelessness down for the first time in a long time. We have turned the corner, but make no mistake, we have a long way to go and it’s going to take all of us working together and committing to making change together,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. “We committed to a new way of doing things with programs like Inside Safe and a Pathway Home. Especially now, when the Palisades and Eaton fires have cost so many more people their homes and their livelihoods, we must double down on innovation, efficiency and on delivering results.”

Volunteers Shem Bitterman, left, and Josh Davis, who met for the first time at the homeless count and walked the community together, said participating in the effort is rewarding and beneficial to society.  (photo by Edwin Folven)