Long Beach Seeks Volunteers for 2025 Homeless Point in Time Count
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Above: A community volunteer conducts a survey while participating in the 2024 Homeless Point in Time Count.

Long Beach, CA – The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) is seeking 350 community volunteers to help conduct the 2025 Point in Time Count, its street count of people experiencing homelessness in Long Beach, which will take place on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025.

Long Beach is one of only three cities in Los Angeles County to operate its own Continuum of Care, a local planning body funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that coordinates housing and services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. HUD requires that Continuums of Care conduct an annual count of unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. To better serve the community, Long Beach conducts its Count annually. The Homeless Services Bureau, part of the City's Health Department, organizes the Point in Time Count effort and provides leadership to the Long Beach Continuum of Care.

The Count is a communitywide effort that provides an opportunity for residents and local businesses to learn about people who are experiencing homelessness, gain an understanding of the resources available, and actively contribute to the City's efforts to address homelessness in Long Beach. The count is vital in determining the scope of homelessness, defining existing resources available and identifying gaps to better serve these community members.

Volunteer registration is now available and will remain open until all slots are filled. If more than 350 people register to volunteer for the Count, a waitlist will be created. To learn more about the Long Beach Homeless Count, visit the Annual Homeless Count webpage, email HomelessCount@longbeach.gov or call the Multi-Service Center at 562.570.4500.

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To volunteer for the Count, people must:
  • Be 18 years or older.
  • Attend a two-hour orientation and training prior to the day of the Count. Orientations will be held both virtually and in person and will occur in early January.
  • Commit to a four-hour canvassing shift on Jan. 23. Volunteers will be expected to report at 4:30 a.m. and dispatched to the field by 5 a.m.

People registering as volunteers should expect to arrive at the Grand Long Beach (4101 E. Willow St.) at 4:30 a.m. They will be assigned to cover a segment of the city for the street-based count in groups of three to five volunteers. Most importantly, volunteers will administer a survey to any people experiencing homelessness who are willing to share their information. Volunteer teams will be provided with gift cards, hygiene kits and water to distribute to the people experiencing homelessness with whom they engage. In areas of the city with less density, people may be assigned to canvas by car, but most will be on foot.

In order to prepare volunteers for this important work, the City requires a two-hour orientation that will educate canvassers on best practices to engage people experiencing homelessness, how to use a mobile application to administer the Count, and the logistics of the Count itself.

Volunteer orientations are mandatory, regardless of prior participation in the Count, and will be hosted on the following days and times:
  • Wednesday, Jan. 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. via Zoom
  • Thursday, Jan. 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Long Beach Multi-Service Center (1301 W. 12th St.)
  • Thursday, Jan. 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. via Zoom

Other Ways to Get Involved
In addition to canvassing, community members are also encouraged to help raise awareness and recruit other volunteers to participate in the Count by sharing this volunteer opportunity on social media or by providing physical and/or monetary donations.

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To financially contribute towards Count incentives, people may donate online at Mayor's Fund for Homeless Action and type "Homeless Count - Mayor's Fund" in the Additional Comments box. These tax-deductible donations will be used towards gift cards and other incentives for individuals being surveyed on the day of the Count.

People can also donate by sending a check to Long Beach Community Foundation, 400 Oceangate, Suite 800, Long Beach, CA 90802. Please make check payable to "Long Beach Community Foundation" and write "Homeless Count - Mayor's Fund" in the memo section of the check.

Community members can also donate needed items, such as socks, travel-sized hygiene products and bottled water to be distributed during the Count. Items can be dropped off at the following locations:
  • All Long Beach Public Library locations during regular operating hours (libraries are closed Sundays and Mondays at select branches)
  • Boys and Girls Club of Long Beach (3635 Long Beach Blvd.), 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
  • Scherer Park Community Center (4654 Pasadena Ave.), 3 to 6 p.m. on weekdays.
  • Long Beach Multi-Service Center (1301 W 12th St.) 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. The Multi-Service Center also will accept small gift cards ($5 to $10).

For more information on the City's efforts to reduce homelessness in Long Beach, people may visit longbeach.gov/homelessness and follow @lbhealthdept and @longbeachcity on social media and follow the hashtag #EveryoneHomeLB.

Media inquiries can be directed to the Jennifer Rice Epstein, Public Affairs Officer, Department of Health and Human Services, 562.441.3590, Jennifer.RiceEpstein@longbeach.gov.

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