LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count is set to get underway today, with thousands of volunteers slated to take to the streets around the county over the next three days to try to determine how many people are living without homes.
The count is organized by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and is required by the federal government to be done every two years, although LAHSA went to an annual count starting last year.
The count helps local and federal authorities determine funding levels for homeless initiatives and coincides with several steps by the city and county to fight the homeless problem.
In February 2016, the City Council passed the Comprehensive Homelessness Strategy resolution, which committed up to $1.85 billion for homeless initiatives over 10 years, and in November city voters passed Proposition HHH, a $1.2 billion bond measure to fund permanent housing for the homeless.
``Addressing homelessness has never been a bigger priority for the city,'' LAHSA spokeswoman Naomi Goldman told City News Service.
Last year's count, when over 7,500 volunteers participated, found that the homeless population increased 5.7 percent from 2015 to reach 46,874.
Anyone interested in participating can go to www.theycountwillyou.org/.