Volunteers are needed to help in next year’s point-in-time count, used to determine the number of homeless people in cities and counties across California.
The count, planned for Thursday, Jan. 22, is a citywide search conducted by city workers and volunteers who spread across Long Beach to survey homeless individuals for their personal information and history that led to their situation. Surveys are used to inform City Council decisions throughout the year, and where to prioritize attention, grants and local funds.
Those willing to share information and answer surveys are gifted hygiene kits, gift cards and water.
A census of homeless individuals is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to be conducted every two years for an area to receive federal funding for homeless services. Some municipalities, like Long Beach, decide to hold the count annually to keep closer track of their numbers.
Last year’s count found 3,595 people experiencing homelessness locally — a 6.5% increase from the year prior and the highest number in more than a decade. Officials attributed the number to high rents, fraying mental health and displacement from the fires that raged across Los Angeles in January.
This year, the city is hoping to get 350 volunteers for a census on a single day, citywide, to include city parks and the banks of both the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers. A separate count is done on Wednesday, Jan. 21, for shelters and interim housing facilities in Long Beach.
Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, attend a two-hour training session — offered online or in person — prior to the count and report to the Grand Long Beach (4101 E. Willow St.) at 4:30 a.m.
From there, they will be grouped into teams of three to five people and assigned a particular route for their four-hour canvassing shift. If more than 350 people register, entries will be placed on a waitlist.
Those interested can register here. For more information on orientation or the count itself, visit here.