The call has gone out to volunteers, needed to assist with the upcoming Point-In-Time effort throughout Stanislaus County. Those interested in helping are asked to sign up by Jan. 7.

A homeless man lives on the streets. A displaced family is sleeping in a car. Exactly who are the homeless in Stanislaus County? Where are they in the community, and how many call Stanislaus County home?

These are some of the questions behind the 2024 Homeless Point-In-Time (PIT) Count, an annual survey of persons experiencing homelessness in the county. The data is critical to determining the scope of the problem and helping identify resources and gaps in service.

“While we have made great strides in addressing homelessness in our community, there are still challenges and work to be done,” stated Maryn Pitt, Chair of the Stanislaus County Community System of Care (CSOC), which oversees the annual count. “The information we gather as part of the annual Point-In-Time Count serves as a valuable tool in not only understanding who is experiencing homelessness but also assists us in identifying unmet needs and better aligning resources in the community.”

The data is used to help determine the amount of funding available to communities to develop housing and supportive services for people moving from homelessness to independent living.

Every year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires communities to count the number of people experiencing homelessness in counties across the nation.

The PIT count is a snapshot in time, an unduplicated count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. This year’s count is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024.

It’s a big countywide operation that requires many volunteers. They’ll work alongside the Stanislaus County Homeless Outreach and Engagement Team as they fan out across communities.

Volunteers will engage with local homeless individuals and their families to complete a survey and help distribute care packages (beanies, socks, snack, and water) to people they survey. The goal is to register 250 volunteers.

If you want to participate, go to https://stanislaus24.pointintime.info/

Volunteers will be required to choose a training session and select the city where they’d like to work. Other options include registering via phone at (209) 558-2961 or e-mail csoc@stancounty.com.

The registration deadline for volunteers is Jan. 7, 2024.

Last year, a total of 2,091 homeless people were identified in the 2023 PIT Count.

The Count is organized by the Stanislaus Community System of Care (CSOC) which includes local governments, non-profits, and homeless providers. For more information about CSOC, visit www.csocstan.com.