County employees and hundreds of volunteers in Orange County have started counting O.C.’s homeless population.
The shelter count began Monday night, officials said, and street teams began heading out on Tuesday morning to interview individuals experiencing homelessness.
“For the next three days, we will be deploying volunteers throughout the county to count individuals that are experiencing homelessness out on the street or in cars,” said Doug Becht, the Director of Orange County’s Office of Care Coordination. “[The count] helps us make decisions on understanding if we are seeing a decrease and that our efforts are making the impact that we want, or that there’s a greater need.”
“It also ensures that we are connecting with each individual out there and understanding a little bit more about them,” Becht added.
Not only does the count help county officials, but it also provides volunteers with a close look at homelessness in their communities.
“This is a great opportunity for folks to engage and understand the human aspects of folks experiencing homelessness on the street,” Becht told KTLA 5’s Erin Myers. “We work year-round to try and help people … and the first step of that is understanding the person that is experiencing homelessness.”
When it comes to most urgent needs, Becht believes health services are at the top of the list.
“Often for folks that are experiencing what we call unsheltered homelessness, meaning sleeping on the street, they experience a myriad of medical and mental health issues and substance abuse,” he said.
Results from the homeless count will be available in May, officials said.
Los Angeles County is set to begin their homeless count Tuesday night.