Downey sees drop in homeless population

Photo by Alex Dominguez.

DOWNEY – Results of the 2022 homeless count indicate a drop in Downey and a slowing of growth county wide.

In Downey, 218 homeless individuals were counted, down from 258 in 2020.

Mayor Blanca Pacheco said that she and the rest of the city council were “encouraged to see a 15.5% drop in our homeless population,” adding that they would continue their “commitment to advance viable holistic solutions to prevent and reduce homelessness.”

“The results of the 2022 LAHSA homeless count demonstrates that the City’s ongoing efforts and collaboration with various community partners are making a meaningful impact in addressing homelessness in our community,” she said.

In LA County’s Fourth District (in which the city of Downey resides), a 5% increase was reported, tallying 4,925 persons experiencing homelessness.

A majority of the Fourth District’s homeless were adults age 25 and older (82%). Those of Hispanic / Latino descent made up just over half of the demographic, at 52%. Men (65%) also made up a majority of District Four’s homeless. A total of 67 were listed as veterans.

In total, Los Angeles County tallied 69,144 homeless persons, showing a 4% increase from the last count in 2020. The slight increase this year comes in contrast to the previous 2020 count, which reflected a larger 15% increase from 2019.

The county is attributing the progress to efforts to aid the homeless during the Covid-19 pandemic.

LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn responded to the results on Twitter, saying:

“The 2022 Homeless Count may contain signs of progress, but we aren’t going to pat ourselves on the back when close to 70,000 people are homeless in LA County.”

The count, coordinated by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, was conducted over three nights in February.