Volunteers needed for county's homelessness count as crisis worsens

• Yes, but: Some advocates believe point-in-time counts can be misleading and may drastically underestimate the true number of houseless individuals.

How it works: Before sunrise, about 1,500 volunteers will go out across 41 countywide sites next Thursday, searching encampments, alleys, vehicles, parks and canyon trails for sheltered and unsheltered individuals to survey.

• The optional survey asks people how often and how long they've been unhoused, veteran status, health and disability information, whether they lived in San Diego when they became homeless and other demographic details.
• Those who take the survey get a $10 gift card, a pair of socks and a resource guide.

Details: The morning shifts run from 4-8am and evening shifts at safe parking and sleeping sites are from 6:30-9pm.

• The areas most in need of help are: Pacific Beach, Mira Mesa, Ocean Beach, Kearny Mesa, El Cajon, Santee, Spring Valley, Encinitas, Poway and Oceanside.
• Volunteers who sign up here pick a site and watch a training video before their shift.

• County employees can get paid for participating.

Between the lines: This count comes six months after enforcement of the city's homeless encampment ban that prohibits camping in specific areas as long as shelter is available.

• A top concern for San Diego voters, city leaders have also worked to address the worsening crisis with safe sleeping sites, shelters and hotel housing.

Context: San Diego County saw a record high 10,264 homeless people in last year's count, a 22% spike from the previous year.

• That included 5,171 people living outdoors or in vehicles.
• Last year, California had the highest percentage of homeless people living without shelter in the nation at 68%.