Volunteers Needed to Help Count Individuals Experiencing Homelessness in Orange County
Santa Ana, Calif. (January 7, 2019) – The County of Orange is seeking around 1,000 volunteers to sign up to help with the 2019 Point In Time count, taking place Wednesday, January 23, and Thursday, January 24.
The Point In Time is a biennial effort required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, counting people experiencing homelessness in a given point in time during the last 10 days in January. The data resulting from the 2019 Point In Time count will provide information to help the County and its partners better understand and address homelessness.
Volunteers are primarily needed to serve as field surveyors, who will canvass predesignated areas across Orange County and conduct surveys of homeless individuals. Volunteers are also needed to serve as team captains, host leads, host team members, photographers and videographers, and A/V and tech support. Volunteer opportunities are available in morning shifts and evening shifts on both January 23 and 24. Volunteers are projected to mostly complete the count on January 23, with volunteers following up on January 24 to cover any areas that might have been missed. (See descriptions of volunteer opportunities and links to register here.)
In-person training for volunteers will be offered on Saturday, January 12; Wednesday, January 16; and Thursday, January 17 in Fullerton, Tustin and Mission Viejo. The two-hour, in-person training is required for all team captain volunteers and is optional for all other volunteers. (See a full list of training options and an RSVP form here.)
Each team of field surveyors will be led by a team captain, who will have specific training and most likely experience in outreach or providing services to homeless individuals. Volunteers will receive information leading up to the Point In Time count covering details such as what to wear, how to conduct the app-based survey, and how to ensure safety.
For additional information about the 2019 Point In Time count, visit https://www.everyonecountsoc.org/ .
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