Today is the last day to register to volunteer in homeless count

Today is the last day to register to volunteer for the Riverside County 2020 point-in-time homeless count, slated to begin on Jan. 29.

The effort is key to understanding how many homeless or housing-insecure residents live within Riverside County and the nation. The data are used by Department of Housing and Urban Development officials to determine how to distribute federal funding, and by policymakers in determining the scope of homelessness nationwide -- including what's working, and what's not.

Volunteers are slated to canvass Jan. 29 from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. for a general count, and from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 29-31 to specifically tally how many children are affected by homelessness.

The 2019 count identified a total of 2,811 sheltered and unsheltered homeless adults and children across the county, a 21% increase from 2018 numbers.

No prior experience with the point-in-time count is necessary to volunteer.

Volunteers must have a smartphone or tablet to conduct the survey, be able to walk up to two hours and must be 18 or older. Volunteers ages 16 to 17 must be accompanied by an adult.

After registering, volunteers will need to complete a mandatory training session, available both in-person and online.

For more information, or to register, visit www.rivcoexchange.com.