Homeless Count Drops Below 700

News Brief
(courtesy of LA Downtown News)

The Central Division's latest homeless count turned up just 698 people living on Downtown streets - the lowest number since the count began last year. In September 2006, officers counted more than 1,800 homeless in the area. Overall crime is down 36% and on one day in February no crimes were reported at all in the Downtown area, said Capt. Andy Smith of the Central Division. So far, 2007 has seen one murder, which has been solved, compared to three murders by this time in 2006, Smith said. "Officers are finding it less necessary to make arrests," Smith said. "But we still have a ways to go, we still have 700 people we need to help and get into a shelter." A "heat map" showing the changing concentration of homeless in Downtown, created by mapmaking company Cartifact, is on view at homeless.cartifact.com.


Camping: Homeless people on Sunset Blvd. sidewalk camp. The practice has been banned downtown.
photo courtesy of LAT

Also read our previous entry about how the Homeless are moving away from Downtown LA over here.