OUT TO COUNT THE UNCOUNTED TEAMS TOTALING THE NUMBERS OF HOMELESS.

Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Despite a slow start, a dozen volunteers and paid workers - some of them currently homeless - scoured river banks, city streets and areas under bridges overnight Tuesday to tally Santa Clarita's homeless as part of the first Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count.

Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority organized the countywide effort that continues today, intended to help the joint city-county agency track homelessness and improve delivery of services to the most needy.

The teams sighted 30 people who appeared homeless; 63 vans, cars and recreational vehicles that could be dwellings; and nine tents and encampments between Saugus, Newhall and Canyon Country. About 17 people have been staying at the city's winter shelter.

The street count will be considered along with reports from homeless groups, shelters and law enforcement by the nonprofit social research group Applied Survey Research for the final tally.

The count comes a month after local homeless advocates - aided by Los Angeles County - opened Santa Clarita's winter shelter. The facility almost didn't open after city of Santa Clarita forced a previous temporary shelter to close because residents objected to the location, and officials failed to find a new home.

The counters, who wore bright yellow baseball caps embroidered with the slogan ``Everyone Counts in LA!,'' moved in teams of two through neighborhoods and trails by foot and auto.

They were only allowed to observe signs of homelessness - people wandering the streets strapped with camping gear, cars and vans that appeared lived-in, encampments - but not to interact with the people themselves.

``A lot of them are judgment calls,'' said Dan Fisher, a LAHSA specialist, told the volunteers. ``We want you to be safe.

``We also want to respect people's privacy. We don't want this process to be intrusive to them.''

Some homeless workers were recruited and paid $10 an hour for their knowledge of the streets. David L. Jones, 55, has been homeless since April 2003 after splitting with his wife. He stays at a Lancaster shelter.

``I want to get out there and count these people and let society know what's really out there,'' he said. ``These people are United States citizens. ... It's time they recognize we're all God's children, and it's time they help.''

As the first operation in an unfamiliar city, the assembled crew members took time getting their bearings and getting on task. But most were driven to get as accurate a count as possible. One pair drove up from Boyle Heights to sweep Wiley Canyon well into 2 a.m. Wednesday.

One team wandered into Saugus, spotting about seven people and several occupied vehicles.

``Some have hats hanging on the mirror,'' said Jason Serrone, 49, a volunteer from Lancaster. ``Some (vans) have their curtains drawn, but you could see it moving.''

Fisher said the homeless in such suburbs as Santa Clarita prefer to keep out of sight for fear of harassment, and the rain forecasted for Tuesday and Wednesday might have driven some indoors or to local shelters.

Eugene Tong, [phone]

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Above, Peter Starks, at map, gives instructions before heading out to count the homeless Tuesday night. Volunteers and workers in the project wore brightly colored caps, top, to identify them.

David Crane/Staff Photographer