Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services to Count the Homeless Population in the City on Thursday January 27, 2011
Long Beach, CA – December 29, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) will conduct the fifth biannual homeless count in Long Beach on Thursday, January 27th, 2011.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) mandates that all jurisdictions that receive federal funds for providing supportive services to the homeless population must complete a point-in-time homeless count every two years. This count defines the scope of homelessness, both in the community and across the nation. The results of this count, which are reported within the City’s federal grant application that is submitted to HUD each year, determine existing resources, identify gaps, and highlight progress towards ending homelessness. The 2009 City of Long Beach count identified 3,909 people that were homeless on that given day (January 29, 2009).
Volunteers are needed to assist with the count. The Health Department will deploy approximately 300 community volunteers to conduct this citywide count process, which involves two distinct activities. The first activity is the service-based component which records the numbers of homeless individuals and families residing in emergency, transitional and permanent supportive housing programs within Long Beach. The second activity is the street count component, in which the city of Long Beach is divided into 47 GIS mapped segments. Teams comprised of three volunteers, lead by a service provider, canvass each map segment to count the homeless in the area.
For additional information about the homeless count, or to volunteer to assist, please contact Susan Price, the Health Department’s Homeless Services Officer, at (562) 570-4003. Information on the homeless count, including volunteer registration is also available on the web at www.longbeach.gov/health/fss/homeless_services/default.asp. Volunteers will be required to sign up for a one-hour orientation/training session that must be completed prior to the date of the count.
Contact :
Ed Kamlan 562.570.6814
