Pasadena conducts annual point-in-time homeless count

The city of Pasadena held its annual point-in-time homeless count Wednesday, Jan. 21, and Thursday, Jan. 22.

Pasadena is one of a handful of local cities that conduct its own homeless count outside of the larger count done by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).

A team of about 200 volunteers set out Wednesday night and Thursday morning to canvass the city’s unhoused population. Teams of four to six people were deployed in 28 geographic zones.

Volunteer teams also counted in the city’s 10 libraries and at locations where people receive services. A supplementary youth count took place Thursday afternoon, according to the city.

“We surpassed our volunteer recruitment goals ahead of schedule, demonstrating that Pasadena residents view homelessness as a critical problem that is deserving of time and attention,” Homeless Count Coordinator Christina Kasali said in a statement. “This year, 48% of volunteers participated in the Pasadena Homeless Count for the first time.”

Results of the count will be available by June when it is presented to the Pasadena City Council. This point-in-time count is one of two main methods the city uses to collect data about the homeless population.

The other is the annual count that tracks homelessness and trends over the course of the year. In December, Pasadena City Council unanimously approved the creation of a Housing, Homelessness and Planning Committee.

Mayor Victor Gordo, Councilmember Rick Cole and Councilmember Tyron Hampton and Councilmember Jason Lyon will make up the committee. Its creation was meant to ease the workload on the Economic, Development and Technology Committee.

In addition to Pasadena’s department, Los Angeles County recently launched a new Department of Homeless Services and Housing ahead of the regional and local counts.

The county also started an Emergency Centralized Response center to provide a coordinated and faster approach to homeless response. The new department is intended to consolidate what’s been described as a fragmented system and reduce administrative costs at LAHSA.