Residents of Palm Springs interested in helping the city gauge the size of the area’s homeless population were urged Monday to consider signing up for Riverside County’s annual homeless count, slated for the end of this month.
“It is important we get a large number of volunteers so we can get an accurate count because services and funding decisions are based on how many unsheltered residents are counted on this one day,” Mayor Geoff Kors said. “The City Council encourages all residents to join us in this critical effort to help our unsheltered residents.”
The 2020 “Riverside County Point-in-Time Homeless Count” is scheduled for Jan. 29-31. Department of Public Social Services personnel, other county employees and volunteers will canvass multiple locations to estimate how many people are living on the streets, in shelters and in abandoned or drivable vehicles.
Individuals affiliated with faith-based organizations, college students, members of neighborhood watch groups, and anyone else interested is welcome to lend a hand.
The street count in Palm Springs will take place between 6 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
The county is seeking at least 700 volunteers to assist with the tally. Roughly that same number participated in the 2019 survey, which documented 2,811 sheltered and unsheltered homeless adults and minors throughout the county, compared to 2,310 in 2018.
The countywide census is mandated under a U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development grant that uses count data to determine funding for homeless mitigation programs in the county.
The count will be split between a street-level operation and a “service-based survey.” During the street walk, volunteers will visit parks, alleyways, overpasses and encampments to ascertain the number of people living in places not intended for habitation, according to DPSS.
The service survey will entail visiting shelters.
Some training is required before volunteers can carry out the survey. Two training sessions are set in Palm Springs, both in the City Hall council chamber at 3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way. The first will be Jan. 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; the second will be Jan. 16 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
All volunteers will need to have a smart phone to use the survey software, and must be able to commit to walking for up to two hours.
The minimum age to participate is 16. However, anyone under 18 will need to be accompanied by an adult.
On Jan. 30 and 31, volunteers will specifically look for homeless persons who are under 25 years old, according to DPSS. Agency spokesman Luis Lopez said the number of dispossessed youth is likely under-counted each year.
“We’re looking for more youth-friendly volunteers, who can really connect with kids and teens to make sure they’re counted and get the help they need and deserve,” he said.
Information about registering to take part in the survey can be found at rivcoexchange.com/ or www.palmspringsca.gov.