by Elka Worner
Dozens of volunteers walked along the Green Belt, Strand, streets and alleys of Hermosa Beach Thursday night to count the homeless in the city.
“Hermosa Beach’s annual Homeless Count helps us better understand the needs of our unhoused residents by providing a “snapshot” of what the City’s homeless population looks like on any given night,” Hermosa Beach City Manager Suja Lowenthal said in a prepared statement issued through the city’s public information officer.
City officials said it will take several months before they get an exact count of the city’s homeless. According to the most recent count, 34 people were living on Hermosa’s streets.
“I’ve definitely seen an increase in the unhoused,” said Hermosa Beach resident Oscar Gallardo, who participated in this year’s count because he “wanted to learn more about the services and initiatives in place to address the issue.”
After a presentation by Deputy City Manager Angela Crespi, volunteers were given yellow vests and a map of the area they would be covering. Most had downloaded an app from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which was used to count the homeless. Tents and campers were also tabulated.
Gallardo and his team walked along the Green Belt, beginning at City Hall to the Manhattan Beach border, an area that included Valley Park. He said he was “pleasantly surprised” not to find a single homeless person along the route.
Last month, police discovered a deceased homeless man in the park. “It was Dave, the hunched over silver haired gentleman was always carrying a black bag,” a park neighbor wrote on Next Door.
Hermosa Beach resident Carla Buck drove through North Hermosa Beach looking for unhoused people. She also walked through Noble Park and along the Pier Plaza, where she found one homeless person sleeping on a bench.
“Volunteering – especially in an area where you live in and that you love – puts a face to the issue,” Buck said. “You are helping these people to be seen and maybe getting them the help they need.”
U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu secured $1 million in federal funds for the city’s “Mobile Mental Health Pilot Project.” The program, which should be up and running this month, is expected to deliver on site mental health services and basic first aid to the city’s unhoused population, according to a staff report.
Thursday’s count helps the city and homeless services develop strategies to end homelessness on a regional level.
“I want to personally thank all the incredible volunteers who gave their time to make this year’s count possible,” Lowenthal said in her statement. “Their selflessness not only empowers our City with valuable data, it also demonstrates our community’s shared commitment to ensure that everyone in Hermosa Beach has a chance for a better tomorrow.” ER
