As many of you know, the annual Los Angeles’ Homeless Youth Count is a crucial activity that SPY has helped support for the past several years. This year, the Youth Count will take place January 22 - 31, 2019. As with years passed, we are turning to you, our incredible community of supporters and volunteers, to help accomplish this important task.
You can volunteer in one of the following capacities:
o Surveyor - conduct the demographic survey during the Youth Count throughout the Westside, requires a brief mandatory online or in-person training available soon
o Drop In Surveyor - conduct the demographic survey at SPY during Drop In hours (1-5pm), requires a brief mandatory online or in-person training available soon (very limited space available)
We are requesting the majority of volunteers on Wednesday January 23 (our Blitz Day), as we will be focusing our efforts on surveying a large portion of the Westside on this day. We will also have a fun raffle with a few prizes for Blitz Day volunteers! Surveys will be conducted throughout the entire 10 days so if you are not available on the 23rd , you can still participate on any of the other nine days! Please use *this link* to indicate your interest in participating! (raw link here: https://goo.gl/forms/QJAQavr7AecCvHah1 )
Below you can find more information regarding the Youth Count methodology and importance. Thank you all for considering participating in this vital event. Without you, many young people would continue to go undercounted, never getting the full picture of youth homelessness in West LA and throughout the county. We are so grateful for your support and this incredible army who makes everything we do possible!
Youth Count Methodology and Importance
The Youth Count is 1 of the 5 major components of the Homeless Count. Unlike the Street Count, the Youth Count is a survey-based count that asks young people to answer a series of questions asked by a trained surveyor. Trained surveyors partner with young people who have lived experience of homelessness to locate and approach young people living on the streets. The Youth Count provides a snapshot of how many unaccompanied minors and Transition Age Youth (age 18-24) are experiencing homelessness on any given night throughout Los Angeles County. It enables us to gather important data that will: inform the state of homelessness in LA, dictate vital community resources, and increase engagement, bringing together service leaders, community members, and key stakeholders.
Safe Place for Youth will work with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and University of Southern California (USC) to conduct demographic surveys for homeless youth throughout the Westside of Los Angeles, which spans from Malibu to Culver City to Westchester and everything in between. The demographic surveys will be conducted on the last 10 days of January, Tuesday the 22nd through Thursday the 31st in different census tracts throughout the Westside, at different times. For more information please contact Ely Sepulveda [email protected].