2021 Hollywood Homeless Count

On February 25th, 2021, members of Hollywood 4WRD collectively mobilized to count all unsheltered people in Hollywood and East Hollywood.

Our residents, providers, and policymakers needed to know how 2020’s unprecedented disruptions had affected homelessness. Despite the cancellation of the official 2021 count, Hollywood 4WRD knew it could proceed safely and effectively, so we organized a community count on our own.

Safety was paramount: we recruited “pandemic pods” as volunteer teams. Everyone was trained online ahead of time. On the night of the count, staff at The Center in Hollywood–the count hub–distributed materials in full PPE via a drive-thru system. No volunteer ever left their car or pod during the count. Professional outreach teams surveyed any tract that required walking during the day.

We counted 1513 unsheltered people compared to 1714 in 2020–a 12% drop. This may mean that interventions like eviction moratoria, Project Roomkey, new A Bridge Home shelters, and more permanent supportive housing successfully got and kept people off the street. Since the full impact of COVID is yet to be seen, we must build on all successful solutions to ensure everyone has a safe and healthy home ASAP.

We consulted with the same USC/UCLA Homeless Count Methodology Team that LAHSA relies on to make sure we could trust our analysis.

We found fewer people on the street, but life has gotten harder for those left unsheltered. Restaurants, libraries, and many social services and healthcare facilities closed due to the pandemic, blocking unhoused people from the support systems that enable them to live as healthy and dignified a life as possible. 

As we move past the pandemic, we urge YOU to advocate for more services and housing, everywhere. The better-off our most vulnerable neighbors are, the healthier our communities will be.