Volunteers conduct early-morning count of area homeless
By Jocelyn Wiener - Bee Staff Writer
Published 8:14 am PST Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Volunteers fanned out across Sacramento County early Tuesday morning to count the number of homeless people sleeping in the region's riverbanks, sidewalks and storefronts.
More than 155 volunteers from various social service agencies arrived at the Department of Human Assistance office on North A Street around 4 a.m. Tuesday.
Bundled in parkas and ski caps to ward off the chill, they formed groups of four and headed off with law enforcement escorts to begin the count. Because of statistical calculations that need to be completed, final numbers probably will not be known for a month.
The county conducts a "point in time" count of unsheltered homeless people every other year. The count is required as a condition of receiving funding from the federal department of Housing and Urban Development. The count also is designed to help the county better understand and respond to the needs of homeless residents.
