Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count experiences delay amid rising COVID-19 cases
The annual Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count in Westwood has been postponed to Feb. 23 because of the omicron variant. (Daily Bruin file photo)
By Justin Jung
Jan. 17, 2022 7:10 p.m.
The 2022 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count was postponed to late February because of health and safety concerns regarding the omicron variant.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority announced Friday that the countywide count would be moved to Feb. 22 to 24. The count in Westwood was originally scheduled to be held on Jan. 26 but is now scheduled for Feb. 23.
[Related: Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count resumes in Westwood, seeks volunteers]
More than 40,000 new cases were reported by the LA County Department of Public Health on Saturday. Additionally, the county saw a seven-day daily average testing positivity rate of 20.85%, a sharp rise from around 1% in early November. The testing positivity rate measures the percentage of COVID-19 tests that have a positive result. The omicron variant, which has prompted concern from public health officials because of its high transmissibility, was first detected in LA County on Dec. 2.
The 2022 count will be the first since the 2020 count, which found that homelessness rose nearly 13% from 2019 to 2020. The 2021 count was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although precise data on how the pandemic has affected homelessness in LA is not yet available, one report by the Economic Roundtable projected that amid pandemic-related economic troubles, 52,000 more adults would experience homelessness in LA County by 2023.
Local officials highly anticipate the 2022 homeless count because of expectations that its data would help them understand how the pandemic has affected people experiencing homelessness.
Volunteers can continue to sign up for the homeless count on the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count website.
