Help to Count the Homeless

Last year, there were 8,692 homeless men, women and children in the San Diego region, the fourth largest homeless population in the nation behind New York City, Los Angeles and Seattle.

Has the number changed? You can help us find out.

The Board of Supervisors is once again encouraging County employees to volunteer and spend a few early hours early in the morning to help count the homeless. The annual Point-in-Time Count will take place Friday, Jan. 27, 2017 from 3:45 a.m. to 7 a.m.

The Board believes this is such a worthy cause that County employees who participate will be paid on County time.

The Point-in-Time Count is part of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless’s WeALLCount campaign. The annual count gives a snapshot in time of the number of people experiencing homelessness throughout the San Diego region. The numbers help the region apply for federal funding and identify solutions on how to best serve this at-risk population.

Last year, the 497 County employees who participated accounted for about a third of all volunteers. The Board hopes even more will hit the streets and participate in the 2017 Point-in-Time Count.

Volunteers will work in teams in specific locations and simply tally how many homeless people they see.

If you are interested in participating, review the registration guidelines and FAQs and then obtain approval from your supervisor via the supervisor approval form.

Once completed, you can register for the WeALLCount campaign on the Task Force’s website. After you register, you will complete a short LMS training.