WHITTIER >> At a time when homelessness is rising in Los Angeles County, in Whittier, the numbers are down, according to figures the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority recently released.

There were 214 homeless people in Whittier counted over three nights in January, according to the authority. This compares to 258 counted in 2016 and a nearly 40 percent drop since 2015, when the count was 367 homeless individuals.

Meanwhile, countywide, the homeless population has increased from 44,359 in 2015 to 46,874 in 2016 and 49,698 in 2017.

Whittier community leaders credit the downturn to efforts under way since October 2015, when a community meeting was held to address the homeless problem.

That meeting led to the formation of the Whittier Consortium on Homelessness, a 13-member committee of community representatives from churches, city, schools and others who seek to bring resources to the homeless issue in Whittier.

The numbers show something is working, said Drew Pryor, who facilitated the creation of the community meeting and later consortium.

“This alludes to the fact that something special is happening in Whittier,” Pryor said. “It speaks to the collaboration and how the community is really rallying around the issue.”

Whittier has a number of programs, including the Whittier Area First Day Coalition which operates a shelter for 45 people and provides other services; the Women’s and Children’s Crisis Shelter which helps victims of domestic violence; and The Whole Child, which provides housing for families

In addition, the Salvation Army reopened its hospitality house that has shelter for women and children in the last year.

Meanwhile, the Whittier Police Department launched in October 2016 its mental evaluation team, which pairs a police officer with a social worker to provide better help for people mental illnesses.

The consortium helped to kick off all these new programs and others, such as one that focuses on dental care, said Ted Knoll, former executive director for Whittier Area First Day and now the moderator for the consortium.

“(The numbers) show the trend over the three years,” Knoll said. “We’re trying to build a system where nobody needs to be homeless in Whittier.”

But there’s still more work to be done, he said.

One new program Knoll is hoping will launch soon would provide mentors for the formerly homeless to ensure they don’t fall back, Knoll said.

The fewer numbers tallied in a count don’t necessarily coincide with fewer problems, said Whittier police Chief Jeff Piper.

“From at least the Whittier Police Department’s perspective, the calls for service keep increasing with regards to the homeless,” Piper said.

“Is the Police Department readily identifying a reduction in homelessness? Based on our calls for service, we don’t,” he said.

Then again, Piper said, the calls for service might not be directly related to the number of homeless. There may be more people causing problems.

The police don’t deal directly with homeless but rather with behavior issues, he said.