Volunteers still needed for Palm Springs homeless count

One of two remaining training sessions will be held in Palm Springs tomorrow for volunteers for next’s week 2019 Riverside County Point-In-Time Homeless Street Count and Survey, which aims to determine the number of homeless people living within the county on a given day.

Tuesday’s training session will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Palm Springs Public Library, with one more session slated for Thursday at the Palm Springs Fire Department Training Facility.

Volunteers will be given a crash course on how to use a mobile app called Esri Survey 123, which will allow volunteers to digitally document the number of homeless individuals they encounter, replacing paper-based forms used in prior years.

While the count, slated for Jan. 29, will be conducted countywide, this week’s two training sessions are the only ones scheduled for the Coachella Valley prior to the event.

People who have participated in prior homeless counts may opt for online training.

“Results of the 2019 Homeless Count and Survey provide critical updates on national and local progress towards solving homelessness,” according to a statement from the city. Last year’s count and survey revealed an overall 4 percent drop in the homeless population, albeit with spikes seen in various cities throughout the county.

The count will take place from 6 to 9:30 a.m., though volunteers may sign up for an additional services count that will happen from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

To register, visit this link.

Further information can be obtained by calling the County Point-in-Time coordinator at (951) 358-3844 or emailing RivCoPIT@RivCo.org.