City of Santa Clarita issued the following announcement on Jan. 6.
There are more than half a million people in the United States currently experiencing homelessness, with ten percent of that population being here in Los Angeles County. Many events in life can lead to an unfortunate situation where our friends and neighbors may experience homelessness. From job loss to illness and other unexpected obstacles, now being compounded by the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the path to homelessness leaves many feeling as though they are without hope.
With this in mind, the City of Santa Clarita formed the Community Task Force on Homelessness to focus on the needs of those experiencing homelessness in our community. Since its inception, the Task Force has been working diligently with more than 30 community partners and stakeholders to help put an end to homelessness in Santa Clarita.
The focus of the Task Force is comprised of five action plan items- preventing homelessness, increasing income, subsidized housing, increasing affordable/homeless housing and creating local coordination. The City has also worked diligently with the primary homeless services provider in our community, Bridge to Home, to expand on their year-round shelter from a temporary facility to an enhanced, permanent facility that will enable them to better accommodate the needs of our homeless population. With help from generous donations from members of the community and partnerships with The County of Los Angeles, Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger and the City of Santa Clarita, Bridge to Home is getting closer to the finish line on this capital project. Another highly anticipated project from Family Promise that is geared towards combatting homelessness in the Santa Clarita Valley recently broke ground. The future facility on Newhall Avenue will feature an emergency overnight unit and four affordable housing units, as well as offer case management services for families and expectant mothers who are experiencing homelessness.
Another crucial piece of the mission to end homelessness in our community is the annual Homeless Count. Since 2005, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) has been coordinating the Homeless Count across the County of Los Angeles. The information obtained provides a snapshot of who is experiencing homelessness and where they are located. The results of the annual count give us a starting point to measure the progress of our efforts toward ending homelessness. It also helps determine the amount of Measure H and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds that should be allocated to local homeless programs.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the count in 2021 was not conducted, which allowed for an in-depth review of feedback from volunteers that participated in the 2020 Homeless Count. That feedback led to improvements and innovative ideas that have been put in place for 2022. Being held on January 25, the 2022 Homeless Count will gain a more accurate count, implement COVID-19 safety protocols and provide updated training to assist volunteers with identifying members of the community that may be experiencing homelessness.
One major improvement for this year’s count is the transition from manual counts utilizing a clipboard and paper to an app-based data collection system that can be inputted on your phone. Volunteers will be trained on the application, which will provide a more accurate count to better assess the needs for homeless services in our community.
The 2022 Homeless Count is the perfect opportunity for our community to come out, volunteer their time and participate in an event that will result in a significant impact on the lives of our neighbors experiencing homelessness. I encourage everyone in our community to volunteer to participate in this year’s Count and to sign up early at theycountwillyou.org. Volunteers are encouraged to sign up with teams, so you are able to stay within a team bubble of people you know. You can also sign up as an individual to be placed on a team. Then, on the evening of January 25, from 6:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m., volunteers will meet at The Centre, located at 20880 Centre Pointe Parkway, to participate in the Count.
By working together as a community, we can make real progress towards implementing the many solutions that will lead to providing for those in need of our kindness, compassion and help.
Original source can be found here.
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