News

Volunteers needed for “Point-In-Time Homeless Count”

Published November 28, 2018 3:35 PM

Riverside County officials called today for volunteers to help tally the number of homeless in the region as part of an annual survey.

The 2019 “Point-in-Time Homeless Count” is slated for Jan. 29, when Department of Public Social Services personnel will canvass multiple locations countywide to gauge how many people are living on the streets and in shelters.

“The real goal is to interview them, get some information from them. For those who don’t want to interview or are sleeping we observe them, and to really get data, so we know how many homeless residents we have on this one day,” said Geoff Kors, Palm Springs city councilmember during the city’s homeless count last year.

Individuals affiliated with faith-based organizations, college students, members of neighborhood watch groups, and anyone else interested is welcome to lend a hand, according to DPSS officials.

Last January, several hundred people volunteered their time to conduct the countywide census, which is mandated under a U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development grant. The count factors into the amount of funding for homeless mitigation programs that the county receives.

The count will be split between a street-level operation and a “service-based survey.” During the street walk, volunteers will visit parks, alleyways, overpasses and encampments to ascertain the number of people living in places not intended for habitation, according to DPSS.

The service survey will entail visiting shelters. Volunteers will also be asked to concentrate on identifying homeless youths, identified as anyone under 25 years old without a fixed residence.

Officials noted that this year, a mobile app, ESRI Survey 123, will be the primary means of documenting the number of dispossessed people in the county. Brief training sessions are required before the app can be utilized.

The 2018 homeless count identified roughly 2,300 adults and children living on the streets and in shelters countywide, a 5 percent drop compared to 2017, according to DPSS figures.

“It will really educate a lot of our residents about who our homeless population is and let the homeless population know our residents care about them and they’re valued,” Kors said.