BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Point in Time Count is an important resource in the county's tool belt, providing a look at our homeless population with as much accuracy as possible. A big part of it relies on volunteers.
Over the years the methods to survey and collect data have improved with new technology, like a surveying app, allowing volunteers to work swiftly. While this report plays a large role in understanding our local population, it also is vital to securing federal aid for homelessness.
Ahead of the count volunteers attend a two-hour training, then on January 25, at 4:30 a.m., they’ll be divided into teams. Equipped with the app on their phones, volunteers will help keep track of each individual they count in real time and feed that data back directly to the Bakersfield-Kern Regional Homeless Collaboratives headquarters.
While this event is a long process, it also helps the community gain a unique perspective.
“What we hear back from the volunteers is they get something out of it too. Because it humanizes people who are oftentimes dehumanized, and it gives them another vantage point for how they got there," said Anna Laven, Ph.D, Executive Director of the BKRHC. "What’s their story? Because you’re asking them questions. So the volunteers tend to feel like it allowed them to get to know their community in a totally different way that was meaningful to them.”
Each year the count relies on hundreds of volunteers, but it’s only been in recent years they’ve seen an uptick in people coming out.
Last year was the first year the count was conducted in-person since the pandemic with over 1,600 individuals counted. Through interviews, officials were able to categorize them by things like age, mental health needs, and whether they were sheltered or not.
If you'd like to volunteer, you can sign up here.
