SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Volunteers and homeless advocates launched into their Point-In-Time count to provide the latest snapshot of the homeless crisis in Sacramento County. They engaged people living in encampments along the freeway, under overpasses and different places around town.
Volunteers have been getting a headcount of people experiencing homelessness in the area, taking surveys and hearing people's stories.
The director of California's Department of Housing and Community Development, Gustavo Velazquez, said this type of work is critical to understanding one of our state's most daunting challenges.
"Being here in Sacramento, knowing how acute the crisis is in the state capital is really important for us to do our job at the state level," said Velasquez.
The count helps inform federal, state and local decisions about how to allocate resources to better address homelessness.
"There’s no way we can help, unless we know who’s out there and how many. So this is just part of the, I feel like it’s part of the solution," said Jay Cobb, a first time volunteer.
Velasquez said his own experience on the streets helped reinforced his belief that the lack of housing is the single most important reason why people go unsheltered.
"People, they’re going to spend the night under this rain. And it’s just tragic, but it’s also a reality check of the extent of this problem and how much people need to support the types of service that are around these people to get them out of this situation," said Velasquez.
Wednesday was the first of two nights for the county. Volunteers are also deploying from centers in Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, Folsom and Citrus Heights.
The count happens every two years, and the last time it was held, it showed more than 9,000 people were experiencing homelessness in Sacramento County.
WATCH ALSO:
