Rivco.org | Contributed
Efforts to seek community volunteers continue
The County of Riverside is moving the 2022 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count by 30 days due to the recent spike in coronavirus cases. The count is now scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 23, while the Youth Count is scheduled to run from Wednesday, Feb 23 through Friday, Feb 25. County staff from the Department of Housing and Workforce Solutions will continue their community planning efforts with local cities in preparation for the new date.
“Due to the ongoing pandemic, we made the decision to postpone the count,” said Heidi Marshall, director of the department of housing and workforce solutions. “Our goal is to conduct a comprehensive and accurate count while ensuring appropriate safeguards for all involved. It is critical that we have current data on the local homeless population to assess the impact the pandemic may have caused.”
The PIT Count is an annual count of all sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals within Riverside County. The PIT is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a condition of funding. The data is used by HUD to determine funding levels, assess regional needs and to monitor local progress in reducing homelessness. The effort is led by the Riverside County Continuum of Care, a community body comprised of over 200 individuals and organizations actively involved in planning and coordinating efforts to end homelessness in Riverside County.
The new date will allow additional time to recruit volunteers and county staff to participate in the count. Currently there are approximately 380 volunteers registered to participate and efforts are ongoing to recruit an additional 400. Training is required prior to the count. Volunteers must also have a smart phone or tablet to conduct the survey, be able to walk up to two hours and must be 18 or older. Volunteers ages 16-17 must be accompanied by an adult. Interested participants can register at www.MoreThanACount.org or www.YouthCount.MoreThanACount.org.
The last time the county conducted a PIT Count was in 2020, with help from more than 800 volunteers and staff. During the 2020 count, 2,884 homeless individuals were identified in Riverside County; 2,155 of these individuals were unsheltered and 729 were sheltered.
A complete report on the Riverside County 2020 PIT Count can be accessed online at https://www.harivco.org/ContinuumofCareDivision/. If you or anyone you know needs homeless assistance, please contact the HomeConnect line at 800-498-8847 or by emailing [email protected].
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