By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Point In Time Count Conducted
count 2
Tamberly Stone of the Center for Human Services checks the items in the goodie bag, held by her husband Brian, as the two participated in counting the homeless and providing some toiletries and non-perishable food items during Thursdays Point in Time event. Marg Jackson/The Leader

Across Stanislaus County – including the communities of Oakdale and Riverbank – human service agency officials and volunteers spread out Thursday to try and get an accurate count of the homeless in the county.

“Numbers are not finalized but approximately 50 were counted in Oakdale,” said Tamberly Stone of the Center for Human Services in Oakdale. “I’m confident we didn’t get everybody but we counted 50, that was all over town, both sides of the river, in the park by the library, later on at the gazebo and by the railroad tracks.”

The goal of the count is to get a picture of the homeless problem along with providing those counted with some information on services and programs to assist them if they choose. Stone said each person counted also received a ‘goodie bag’ that included some snacks, non-perishable food items and hygiene products.

“We just went all over, even out toward Kerr Park and we found some in the Kmart parking lot,” Stone noted.

The ‘point in time’ homeless count is done across the country on the same day and Stone said they also counted a couple dozen in Riverbank, with assistance there from a volunteer that counted many homeless along the Stanislaus River.

“We made a lot of contacts, I feel like there were people that maybe didn’t know us (Center for Human Services) or what we do and now they do, that’s a positive,” Stone said. “We want them to know there’s a place to come, for food, clothing, drug and alcohol counseling … our goal is bringing awareness about what we have to offer.”

Five staff members from CHS, along with Stone’s husband Brian and a couple of volunteers from Oakdale Rescue Mission helped with the count.

“A person that came to us for help, she is now in housing – it makes it all worth it,” Stone noted of a recent success story. “Those that take us up on the resources, it can help.”