POLICY – Manhattan Beach homeless count continues to decline
by Mark McDermott Manhattan Beach’s efforts to reduce homelessness appear to have made an impact. The results of the 2022 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count were released last week and found only nine unhoused people living within Manhattan Beach, a steep decline from the 41 people found experiencing homelessness in 2018 and a 40 percent drop from a year ago. The homeless count occurs only one day a year — on February 23 from 8 p.m. to midnight in Manhattan Beach — and is thus just a single point-in-time snapshot, rather than a definitive count. But the consistent downward trend has encouraged city leaders, who over the past few years have prioritized addressing local homelessness. This local success also comes at a time when homelessness continues to increase countywide. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), which organizes the count, estimated that 69,144 people were experiencing homelessness in L.A. County at that time, a 4.1 percent rise from 2020. Mayor Steve Napolitano said that the local decrease in homelessness shows that the City’s efforts have been effective. “The data shows we are moving in the right direction,” Napolitano said. “The investments we have…
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