Palmdale reports drop in point‑in‑time homeless count; Knights Inn Homekey project and Measure A funds highlighted

Palmdale city staff and Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) representatives told the City Council on Oct. 7 that the city’s 2025 point‑in‑time (PIT) snapshot showed fewer people unsheltered than the previous year and described several programs intended to move residents into shelter and permanent housing.

Sophia (city staff) and Heather Varden (LAHSA) presented the count — a HUD‑mandated snapshot taken in February — and explained how demographic surveys and outreach are conducted over a multi‑week period. The presenters reported 122 people “not in a dwelling” and 184 dwellings in the most recent count; staff noted dramatic year‑over‑year drops in some categories that are sensitive to counting methods (for example, reported passenger cars/vans flagged as homelessness fell from 113 to 20 in the city’s comparison slides).

Council members pressed staff on how funds are allocated and whether Palmdale receives its fair share of county Measure A and historic Measure H funds. Staff reported a Measure A local solutions allocation to Palmdale of $1,658,099 under an approved plan and an estimated La Casa Measure A allocation of about $1,938,085 (final numbers depend on county sales tax receipts). Staff also outlined partners and programs: tenant‑based rental assistance, rapid rehousing operated with Salvation Army, workforce development partnerships with Valley Oasis and Advancing Communities Together, and winter shelter beds operated through LAHSA (noted as 35 beds in the presentation).

Council members asked for detail about the Knights Inn project, described by staff as a Homekey Plus conversion of a motel into roughly 100 studio units of permanent supportive housing. Staff said the Knights Inn project is being developed with state Homekey Plus funding and is in predevelopment; the city’s role is coordination rather than direct funding for construction.

The LAHSA representative emphasized that PIT counts are a snapshot captured at a specific time and do not represent a comprehensive longitudinal census; they said counts are timed for a cold weather day to capture shelter usage and that outreach and survey work (conducted by USC and others) provide more detailed demographics over the following months. LAHSA and staff both said migration patterns are difficult to prove conclusively, and that while some anecdotal flows via transit may occur, LAHSA’s data did not show evidence that Los Angeles was systematically “sending” people north into the Antelope Valley.

Councilmembers said they want additional breakdowns — for example, the number of children identified in the count — and asked staff to return with more data on outcomes from shelter placements and long‑term housing retention metrics. No formal votes were taken on policy during the presentation; council thanked LAHSA and staff for the update and left follow‑up reporting and project status items for future agendas.