Hundreds of volunteers joined the Pasadena Partnership to End Homelessness and Department of Housing staff to conduct the 2024 Point in Time Homeless Count this week, providing a snapshot of the city’s unhoused population as homelessness soars across the nation.
“We are grateful to our nearly 200 volunteers who came together to form 41 teams that canvassed the city’s entire geography, including every library and park,” Dan Davidson, Pasadena Partnership Homeless Count Coordinator said. “Only with their help can we compile this critical information that guides the city’s strategic planning for homeless services.”
The annual count — this year conducted on Tuesday, Jan. 23 and Wednesday, Jan. 24 — aims to collect a still image of homelessness data in order to better understand its extent and trends, inform resource allocation, and steer planning and development.
In recent years, for example, the data has shown Pasadena seniors to be one of the fastest growing groups among the city’s unhoused population, increasing 31% last year. In response, the city has supported the development of new supportive housing initiatives for seniors exiting homelessness, such as Heritage Square South, which looks to provide homes to 69 seniors later this year.
According to Brenda Lynch, Associate Director of Communications for Union Station Homeless Shelter and media coordinator for Pasadena’s count, the canvass was aided this year by an upgraded mobile app to conduct surveys, GIS tracking data, and went smoothly.
However she said its too early to tell if homelessness trends seen in the last few years, which has disproportionately affected Pasadena’s Black, LGBTQ+, senior, and veteran populations, will continue.
“I’m excited to see what we need and how we can better align everything we’re doing,” Lynch said.
Last year’s count revealed a 9% increase in homelessness from 2022, a total of 556, on par with the increase seen in the rest of L.A. County. The rise was driven primarily by economic factors, with 35% of people reporting losing their jobs, 24% citing COVID-19 related reasons, and another 24% experiencing financial distress.
According to the 2023 count, seniors experiencing homelessness were the fastest growing cohort, jumping 31%. The number of people experiencing homelessness for the first time increased 5% to 14% of the total unhoused population, driven again by seniors, with the number of people over the age of 62 experiencing homelessness doubling to 18%.
The city’s increase in homeless residents disproportionately affected seniors and veterans, who each saw 4% increases from the previous year to 18% and 11% respectively, and LGBTQ+ identifying people, whose figures increased 3% to make up 10% of the total unhoused population.
Lynch said this year the city canvassed alongside teams from Huntington Hospital and Pasadena Public Health to administer administer COVID-19 and flu vaccines, as well as distribute Narcan overdose reversal kits.
The results of the Homeless Count are expected to be available by June 2024. Pasadena organizes its own count, spearheaded by Pasadena Partners, since it operates its own continuum of care, along with Los Angeles County and Long Beach.