Volunteers Needed to Conduct County Point-In-Time Homeless Count

MORENO VALLEY>> Adult volunteers are needed to assist in the count and help identify locations where homeless people live and receive services. People from all walks of life, including college students, nonprofit organizations, faith based institutions, business and neighborhood groups, and current or former homeless people, are encouraged to sign up to volunteer to assist with the count. The 2017 Riverside County Point-in-Time Homeless Count will be held from 5:30-9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24. The annual effort also surveys homeless people throughout the region. The 2016 Point-In-Time Homeless Count and Survey, conducted on Jan. 26, 2016, identified 1,351 unsheltered and 814 sheltered homeless people, a total of 2,165, in Riverside County, California. The survey found the total Point-In-Time Count decreased by 12 percent from 2015 to 2016. According to the survey last year, there were a total of 503 volunteers, including 33 key leaders from the community, eight Department of Public Social Services Staff Site Coordinators and two DPSS PIT Call Center Staff who contributed to the unsheltered PIT Count and survey. Information collected from the count and survey will ensure continued federal funding for homeless programs, assist in developing strategies to end homelessness and provide help for homeless children and families in need. Homelessness counts are also taking place across the United States as part of the national effort to address chronic homelessness. For more information or to sign up for a volunteer position, please see the Riverside County Homeless Counts website: www.RiversideHomelessCounts.com Interested volunteers may also contact local Moreno Valley Point-in-Time coordinators at 951.413.3449 or np@moval.org.