STOCKTON, Calif. — Local government agencies and nonprofit groups are hoping to get a total count of homeless residents Monday morning in Stockton and all of San Joaquin County.
Using a team of volunteers, the San Joaquin Continuum of Care will explore the county, seeking people who are unsheltered — sleeping outdoors, in camps, on the street, in vehicles or in abandoned buildings or sheds.
Officials and volunteers are hoping to connect local unsheltered homeless with services, housing and shelter information, food, clothing and other help.
The nationwide count is taken every two years. In January 2017, the count found that 1,552 people in San Joaquin County were homeless, and 567 of them were unsheltered. This is down from 2015, when the count found 1,708 were homeless, 535 of which were unsheltered.
The count helps give a clearer picture of homeless nationwide. In San Joaquin County, it makes sure funding will be available for local assistance programs and services. According to the San Joaquin Continuum of Care, that's up to $5 million a year in funding.
The information gathered by the county is distributed to local nonprofit organizations, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and with the United States Congress.
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