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Annual Maricopa County homelessness survey needs volunteers

tents
Katherine Davis-Young/KJZZ
Stefanie Greenlief and Annette Medina with Phoenix's Office of Homeless Solutions conduct outreach with a pair of people living in a tent along Camelback Road.

Volunteers are needed to help conduct a survey of people experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County. The annual Point-In-Time homelessness count will take place Jan. 28.

Every year, teams of city and county officials and volunteers spend one morning in January fanning out across the region’s parks, alleys and bus stops to count unsheltered people. These Point-In-Time counts are required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and are a key source of data on housing and homelessness trends nationally. Most cities nationwide participate in order to be eligible for federal funding to address homelessness.

The annual surveys have shown the homeless population in Maricopa County grew more than 40% over the last five years. Though, last year’s count showed growth among the population staying in homeless shelters and a slight decrease in the number of unsheltered people on the streets.

“For the first time in several years we saw more people in shelter than not in shelter, which is a big deal” said Brian Gruters, regional homelessness program manager for the Maricopa Association of Governments. “The fact that that happened I think speaks to the city of Phoenix’s efforts and other communities in the region to put shelter into place when it was really needed.”

But challenges remain, Gruters said. And he expects this year’s Point-In-Time count will show the county’s overall number of sheltered and unsheltered homeless people is continuing to climb.

“Nationally, we’ve seen this trend continue. The problem’s getting worse not better, so I think we’re bracing for more of the same, which is trending upwards,” Gruters said.

Gruters said volunteering for the count is a good way for the public to take part in efforts to address homelessness.

“If it’s something that you’re concerned about, if you see it every day, if you worry about it, this is a good chance to get involved,” Gruters said. "When you take a morning to go out and stand next to somebody who’s going through this and talk to them, it’s a little bit eye opening."

Those interested in volunteering can find contact information for their local coordinator on the Maricopa Association of Governments website.

Katherine Davis-Young is a senior field correspondent reporting on a variety of issues, including public health and climate change.
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