The commentary by RAND scientist Louis Abramson regarding the 2025 Homeless Count (“LAHSA’s Homeless Count Undercounts the Most Vulnerable,” Oct. 21) raises points worth discussing, and it’s also vital to contextualize the count’s role.
The Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, conducted by LAHSA as the lead for LA’s Continuum of Care, spans over 3,000 census tracts across LA County, and HUD approves its methodology to ensure nationwide consistency. This consistency is key to tracking change over time.
It is significant that both the LAHSA and RAND counts confirm the same vital trend: homelessness in LA County is declining.
While the Homeless Count is a standardized tool, it isn’t the last word. The single most important source for systems planning is the robust, direct service data collected year-round. Our Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) gathers real-time data on individuals’ specific situations and service needs. This 365-day data allows us to precisely track needs and responsibly adjust service delivery with limited funding. This data is available to funders and can be used to make funding decisions.
LAHSA welcomes critical analysis and the opportunity to compare findings with RAND. We invite their experts to volunteer in future counts—as other groups do—and to respond to our forthcoming RFP to serve as LAHSA’s technical partner for 2027-2029. Collaboration and utilizing all the data we collect are the best paths forward.
Paul Rubenstein, Deputy Chief of External Relations at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
Related Posts:
- Santa Monica-based RAND cuts 11% of its workforce News RAND Corp., a Santa Monica-based think tank highly dependent on federal government funding, shed more than 11% of its workforce on Tuesday, Oct. 21, a spokesman for the nonprofit said late Monday. The layoffs were first mentioned publicly by RAND on career networking website LinkedIn. RAND spokesman Jeremy Rawitch confirmed…
- California-based RAND Corp. cuts 11% of its workforce News RAND Corp., a Santa Monica-based think tank highly dependent on federal government funding, shed more than 11% of its global workforce on Tuesday, Oct. 21, a spokesman for the nonprofit said late Monday. Just under a third of the layoffs are effective Nov. 2 at the nonprofit’s headquarters, according to…
- California-based RAND Corp. cuts 11% of its workforce News RAND Corp., a Santa Monica-based think tank highly dependent on federal government funding, shed more than 11% of its global workforce on Tuesday, Oct. 21, a spokesman for the nonprofit said late Monday. Just under a third of the layoffs are effective Nov. 2 at the nonprofit’s headquarters, according to…
- Letter: It’s only a matter of time before California bans the GOP News By now, pretty much everyone has seen former president Barack Obama and billionaire Tom Steyer asking voters to figuratively stick a thumb in President Donald Trump’s eye by voting “Yes” on Prop.50. They are really asking the Democrat-majority to give Democrat politicians in Sacramento dictatorial powers for “just” a few years…
- Haunted house at Santa Clara County Fairgrounds helps the homeless News Finding a permanent home for the haunted house they started with their father has added significance for Mike Barrera and Christian Gaspar. Abel Barrera was homeless growing up in Redding. Gaspar, who was a classmate of Mike Barrera, was homeless and living in a car with his mother before being…
(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)