Volunteers sought for county homeless census

Volunteers are needed to help conduct a federally mandated census of Yuma County’s homeless population this month.

This year the count is being done Jan. 23-28, and Yuma County’s Point-In-Time committee is seeking volunteers who can record homeless residents’ response to the survey questions or help with other aspects of the count.

Volunteers must be 18 or older. They will be sent out in groups of at least two or three to areas where unsheltered people (those not staying in a homeless shelter, hotel or other temporary accommodations) are known to be. There will be teams reaching out to areas in the city of Yuma, the Foothills, San Luis and Somerton, and Wellton-Dateland.

All volunteers will be trained on how to administer the survey and how to take safety precautions during the process. Training sessions will be held on Jan. 18:

• 8:30 a.m. at Crossroads Mission, 944 S. Arizona Ave., Yuma.

• 1 p.m. at Crossroads Mission

• 5:30 p.m. at Crossroads Mission and The Living Center (TLCR), 1340 S. 4th Ave., Yuma

Additional training may be available after those dates.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires every county to participate in the count of unsheltered residents every January, used to help determine the amount of funding sent to counties for anti-homelessness programs, as well as how effective the programs are.

For purposes of the count states are split up into “continuums of care.” Yuma County is part of Arizona’s “Balance of State” continuum, which includes all counties outside of Maricopa and Pima.

The committee is also recruiting Arizona Western College students to help conduct the count. For more information on how to volunteer for the count, contact Yuma County PIT Count Committee chair Brenda McAdams at bmcadams@achievehs.org or (928) 341-4147.