Hit the Streets to Help Count the Homeless

If you’re reading this, then you have a job. And if you have a job, you probably have a roof over your head at night and enough food to eat.

But so many in our community don’t. San Diego County has the fourth largest homeless population in the nation: more than 8,700 people.

You can help them. The Board of Supervisors is once again appealing to your spirit of volunteerism and asking you to spend some early morning hours taking part in the Point-in-Time Count Project with the WeALLCount campaign on Jan. 29, 2016. The Board agrees this is such a worthy cause that for the third year in a row, employees who come forward will be allowed to participate on paid County time.

"...it struck me how incredibly fortunate I am to wake up in a warm bed, with a roof over my head and cupboards full of food. I cannot fathom the kind of life where there is so much uncertainty about basic needs: where I will sleep at night, will I be too cold/hot, when will I get my next meal?" --Tiffany Anderson, Public Safety Group

The Point-in-Time Count is a snapshot in time of the homeless people that can be counted in one morning throughout San Diego County. County volunteers will work in teams, be assigned a specific location and simply tally how many homeless people they see.

Volunteers who participate are important because the numbers that are generated bring federal funding to help this at-risk population. The count also helps County staff identify the scope of the problems and work on solutions.

"We were assigned to the downtown area between Ash, 9th, Broadway, and State. There were a surprisingly high number of homeless individuals in that area, most of whom had nothing but a piece of cardboard and a blanket. After spending several hours out on the street, I realized how fortunate I was to have a comfortable home, a steady job, good health, and a network of family & friends ready to help me if I fell on hard times." --Brian Hagerty, Community Services Group

In 2014, County employees made up about one-fourth of the volunteer force. In 2015, nearly a third. And for the 2016 count, the Board hopes even more will step forward. So far, more than 100 County employees have signed up to take part in the campaign but hundreds more are still needed.  

The Regional Task Force on the Homeless leads the WeALLCount campaign, which takes place Friday, Jan. 29 from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. To sign up, employees need to get approval from their supervisor with a supervisor approval form and then review the registration guidelines and FAQs. (*DA, Sheriff and SDCERA can use these links:supervisor approval form; registration guidelines; FAQs)Once completed, you can register for the WeALLCount campaign on the Task Force’s website. A short training course will be emailed to you. County time is being allowed for the training as well as the count itself. 

"Whenever I see the homeless in San Diego, I can’t help but wonder will their situation ever get better. Is there really some help out there for this population? Participating in the Point-In-Time homeless count this morning gives me some relief that people do take the time to get something started for them." --Agnes Latimore, HHSA