Family homelessness is officially down in LA. Why so many don\u2019t believe it<\/p>\n
LAist’s Elly Yu goes deeper on the data.<\/p>\n
When Los Angeles County and city officials released the results of the annual homelessness count last week, there seemed to be a bright spot: While the number of people counted as living on the streets went up by nearly 8%<\/a>, the number of families reported to be living on the streets decreased by 27% in L.A. and 34% across the county, according to LAist’s analysis of the data.<\/p>\n But providers \u2014 as well as the agency that oversees the count \u2014 are skeptical the numbers match reality.<\/p>\n Those official numbers don\u2019t add up for Constanza Pachon, CEO of The Whole Child, a homeless services agency that solely serves families in southeast L.A. County.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aIt’s not what the experience is on our doors,\u201d Pachon said, who says her organization hasn’t seen less need.<\/p>\n Raising kids?<\/p>\n Our Early Childhood newsletter, focused on raising kids ages 0-5, is your place to get reads and resources on the topics most important to your family. <\/p>\n The point-in-time count found an estimated 274 families<\/a> experiencing homelessness in her agency\u2019s service area, but Pachon believes there are more. For instance, she said her organization served nearly 1,500 families last year who were unhoused. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so unbelievably undercounted,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Providers have long said that family homelessness is hard to quantify <\/a>because families with children aren\u2019t always a visible population living on the streets. They\u2019re more likely to experience homelessness by staying in their cars, motels, or by couch-surfing. <\/p>\n \u201cThe point-in-time count does not capture that nuance that as providers we see on the day-to-day,\u201d Pachon said.<\/p>\n The point-in-time count<\/a> provides a snapshot of the number of estimated people experiencing homelessness on one night. The way that it works, in part, is that volunteers fan out throughout the city and county to physically count who they see experiencing homelessness on the street or in \u201cdwellings\u201d \u2014 tents, vehicles and makeshift shelters \u2014 places where children may not be visible or present.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aPeople who have kids will find places for their kids so that they don’t have to live outside, even if they don’t have an option themselves,\u201d said Katie Hill, CEO of Union Station Homeless Services.<\/p>\n She said last year alone, her agency had to turn away 500 families for shelter. The official estimated number of unsheltered families in Union Station\u2019s service area in the point-in-time count was 42<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI honestly don’t know that I would take a whole lot away from [the family count]. I would look at it as if homelessness is increasing, family homelessness is definitely increasing as well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Support education coverage<\/p>\n \n Help LAist provide trusted information on schools, learning, and the issues shaping education in our community.\n <\/p>\n What’s behind the numbers?<\/p>\n Officials in charge of the count say they\u2019re also cautious about the numbers. The overall number of people living in families with children countywide \u2014 including sheltered and unsheltered \u2014 decreased by 14%, the agency said<\/a>. (LAist’s analysis of the numbers show an even more dramatic decline in families that are unsheltered.) <\/p>\n \u201cWe have reason to believe that declining resources available to families is behind this family point-in-time count decrease,\u201d said Paul Rubenstein, chief of staff at LAHSA.<\/p>\n