Adult volunteers sought for annual Tuolumne County homeless census

Volunteers are needed for an annual count of Tuolumne County’s unsheltered population that plays a crucial role in determining how much money is received for services to address homelessness.

The Amador-tuolumne Community Action Agency is seeking people who want to take part in the “homeless point in time” census on Jan. 26. Each volunteer must be 18 or older and is asked to attend one of two hour-long training sessions that will be offered on Jan. 21.

“It is our hope that we may get an accurate count this year and be able to provide the needed services to all of our homeless residents,” Eva Questo, ATCAA housing resources coordinator, said in an email calling for volunteers.

To make the count as accurate as possible, teams will span out throughout the county on Jan. 26 to survey people who “sleep outdoors, in parks, alleys, under bridges, or places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, abandoned buildings, garages, or other structures without electricity or water.”

The agency says the process helps identify trends among the county’s homeless population, such as families with children, unaccompanied youth, the chronically homeless, and veterans, as well as the magnitude of challenges like drug use and other mental or physical health issues.

Past surveys have shown homelessness in the area has been on the rise over the years, from 130 unhoused people in 2015 to 249 in 2019, which was the last time one was conducted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Training sessions for those interested in helping will be from 1 to 2 p.m. or 2 to 3 p.m. on Jan. 21 at the county Enrichment Center at 101 Hospital Road in Sonora.

For more information, contact Questo at equesto@atcaa.org or (209) 5331397, Michelle Carlson at mcarlson@ co. tuolumne. ca.us, or Betsey Coe at bcoe@co.tuolumne.ca.us.