By Ricardo Lezama 14/feb/2023
La Cartita
Riverside County, California, made history Wednesday, January 25, as the largest ever group of volunteers took to the streets to conduct an annual census of its homeless population.
Organized by the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services, the Homeless Point-In-Time (PIT) Count saw 1,000 volunteers fan out to 39 locations from the early hours of the morning.
Engaging with the homeless community on the streets, volunteers sought to determine the status of those living in cars, under bridges, in transient encampments, homeless shelters, and other locations, and provided them with accessible help and support, including same-day housing and medical care.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development uses this data collection to help decide how to disperse federal homeless aid, and politicians use it to gauge the magnitude of homelessness nationwide, such as what is working and what is not.
The event, which takes place every January, is part of an effort by Riverside County to accurately measure the number of homeless people in the county, and to better understand their needs.
The results of the count are expected to be released later this year, and will provide crucial insight into the homeless population in Riverside County.
The 2022 homeless census revealed 3,316 people were chronically unsheltered, with a 15% rise compared to two years prior. However, the data was limited to interactions in shelters, and did not give an exact account of the county’s homeless population.