SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For the first time since 2019, Sacramento County Point in Time homeless count is underway.
Sacramento Steps Forward (SFF), the organization that conducts the count, originally planned to conduct the count Jan. 26 - Jan 27. However, like in 2021, the count was delayed because of COVID-19 concerns.
With the help of 700 volunteers, the count finally began Wednesday, Feb. 23. The volunteers are assigned specific areas in Sacramento County to count the number of people experiencing homelessness, both sheltered and unsheltered in a 24-hour period.
While the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development requires the PIT count every two years, it didn't take place in 2021 because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Volunteers who conducted the homeless count 2019 learned there were about 5,570 people experiencing homelessness within Sacramento County on any given night, a 19% increase from the 2017 count.
Gustavo Velasquez, Director of the California Department of Housing & Community Development, said the count is important to effectively design policies.
Arturo Baiocchi, a researcher from California State University, Sacramento, previously told ABC10 the number of tents in Sacramento County could have potentially doubled since the count in 2019.
The results from the count will likely be released by early summer.
READ MORE FROM ABC10:
ABC10: Watch, Download, Read
Watch more from ABC10
How to spot a QR code scam | Tips from an expert