Before sunrise on Thursday, hundreds of volunteers fanned out across Long Beach in an effort to count the city’s homeless population.

They counted people in cars, tents and under bridges. They asked questions including: “How long have you been homeless?” “Where did you sleep last night?” “Have you been offered any services?”

Volunteer Kathy Heffner, a 60-year-old human resources manager, said one thing stood out to her as she counted about five people in an area near Cal State Long Beach.

“People were very welcoming,” she said. “They thanked us for believing that their situation matters.”

Long Beach on Thursday conducted its annual point-in-time homeless count to gauge the total population and demographics of those experiencing homelessness in the city. The count helps to determine how much funding the city will get from the county.

The count comes at a time when the homeless crisis is growing in cities across the country. Last year, Long Beach released its Everyone Home Taskforce report calling for millions of dollars in funding for the crisis.  

The report was the city’s largest and most detailed on homelessness in more than a decade.

While some people in the city say they’ve seen an increase, reports from the prior homeless count in 2017 showed a 20 percent decrease.

In 2017, 1,208 were counted as unsheltered, down from 1,513 in 2015 and 1,879 in 2013.

Officials have said the numbers may seem higher to some people because the homeless are spreading out across the city instead of clustering in encampments.

The city recently changed its homeless count from biannual to annual, so the next count will take place in 2020.

Homeless Services Officer Shannon Parker said the agency was overwhelmed with people wanting to volunteer this year.

“So many people wanted to help,” she said. “We actually had to turn people away.”

In 2017, the count had nearly 500 volunteers, she said. This year they closed registration early to keep the volunteer numbers to a more manageable 250, she said.

New this year was a youth survey to get a better understanding of the situation of homeless youth and those on the brink of homelessness. 

Volunteer Shelly Suy, 33, said he was surprised to see the wide age range, from people in their 20s to their late 70s.

Volunteer Michelle Jurado, 26, who works for Mental Health America, didn’t find many people on the streets on Thursday, but she said she’s seen an overall increase in homelessness in the county, especially those with mental illness.

“It’s hard to say why exactly,” she said. “There are so many factors involved.”

Results from Long Beach’s 2019 count are expected to be released in April.