MODESTO, Calif — Stanislaus County is expecting to report record-high numbers of people experiencing homelessness for the third year in a row.
A group of more than 300 volunteers prepared early Thursday morning for this year’s point-in-time count, which happens every year within the Stanislaus County limits.
The local volunteers are divided into 10 groups and assigned to different jurisdictions.
“They go around these communities in Stanislaus County making sure every homeless person is counted,” said Stanislaus County spokesperson, Amy Vickery.
The 2019 point-in-time count showed homelessness at an all-time high. More than 1,900 people experiencing homelessness were counted in the county, which was almost 600 more people than the previous year. From the data, ABC10 learned 80 percent of the people counted are from Stanislaus County originally. And nearly 75 percent of the people counted are living within the city of Modesto right now.
“It’s a trend we’ve been seeing statewide since 2015. It’s safe to call it a crisis,” Vickery said.
According to Vickery, this year will be no exception. She expects the 2020 numbers to be higher.
“We are seeing the growth of our homeless population as months progress,” she said.
Vickery said one reason she expects a higher number in 2020 is due to a better, more organized system of counting with more trained volunteers on the ground.
“Dividing the volunteers into different jurisdictions and assigning a branch leader for each of those branches responsible for overseeing the volunteers within that community makes the process a little easier,” she explained.
“Now [after the count] we want to make sure they’re all counted so we get the resources needed,” she added.
The numbers are required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to determine how much Homeless Emergency Assistance Program (HEAP) funding the county will get from the state.
Counting the Stanislaus County homeless population isn’t all that the volunteers do. They now must ask a series of 27 questions to each person.
“We ask different questions such as their names, their gender, how long they’ve been homeless or if they’re chronically or temporarily homeless,” she said.
The questionnaire will help get a deeper view of the demographics of the homeless across the area.
“It also helps educate our people and help raise awareness about the issue,” she added.
The count is expected to be an all-day event and the final numbers will be available in six months, Vickery said.
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