In the early hours before dawn, nearly 1,500 community-minded souls hit the streets of San Diego County for the annual Point-in-Time Count, an initiative aimed at tallying the local homeless population. The count, organized by the Regional Task Force on Homelessness and branded as "We All Count", is a crucial mechanism for securing much-needed federal and state funding to combat homelessness and improve outcomes for those affected. According to the County News Center, this immense volunteer effort began at the break of day, around 4 a.m., spanning across 31 sites, to deliver an accurate census of San Diegans living without shelter.
With San Diego weather being less than accommodating, the endeavor was tough—a pre-sunrise mobilization had volunteers scouring for individuals in emergency shelters, safe parking lots, and even outdoor spaces like storm tunnels and freeway encampments. County employees constituted a significant portion of the workforce, with 267 staffers volunteering, per the County News Center report. They notably aided a young man taking refuge in storm tunnels, connecting him with a phone and hotel room through the Regional Homeless Assistance Program.
The scope of this count is not limited to a simple tally. Staff from various departments, including the County's Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities, work in tandem to offer immediate assistance and lay down pathways to long-term solutions. In a poignant example, a group of staff joined forces with Caltrans in "The Jungle", a colloquial term referring to the encampments dotted along South County's freeway ramps and riverbeds. In these areas, where last year the county received grants totaling $22 million specifically for outreach efforts, participants in the survey were engaged in conversations about their experience with homelessness and were offered a gift card for their input.
Moving beyond the count, the County proactively operates multiple programs designed to shepherd the homeless to a stable lifestyle. For those seeking assistance or information, both are readily available online or through a call to the 2-1-1 hotline, as highlighted by the County News Center.
