Thursday, January 23, 2014

WeAllCount Homeless Census to take place in San Diego County on Jan. 24



SAN DIEGO – Jan. 22, 2014 – An estimated 1,300 volunteers will participate in WeAllCount on Friday, Jan. 24 from 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.

Sponsored by the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and County of San Diego, the 2014 count of homeless persons in San Diego County will be directed by the Regional Task Force on the Homeless.

“We have an incredibly large task ahead of us and that is to accurately count homeless individuals including veterans, women and children in San Diego County,” said Dolores Diaz, Regional Task Force on the Homeless Executive Director. “Some very special volunteers and community leaders will be graciously giving their time to help us count the homeless.”

That list of names includes officials from the VA, members from the Board of Supervisors, Assemblymember Toni Atkins, San Diego Interim Mayor Todd Gloria and San Diego City Councilmembers David Alvarez, Kevin Faulconer, Mark Kersey and Scott Sherman among many others who are scheduled to help with the count throughout the county.

Mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), WeAllCount is the San Diego region’s annual Point-In-Time-Count (PITC) census conducted to identify the number of homeless individuals including sheltered and unsheltered, their locations and detailed demographic information.

This data enables the San Diego region to better understand the scope, impact and potential solutions to homelessness. It also enables the community to qualify for funding that is critical to addressing the issue and enable people to leave the street.

The aforementioned list of volunteers are scheduled to be deployed from Golden Hall in downtown San Diego, one of many deployment centers set up throughout the county, and will be available for media interviews upon request.

About the Regional Task Force on the Homeless
The Regional Task Force on the Homeless (RTFH) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. It supports, empowers and collaborates with San Diego County’s homeless service providers on a myriad of issues. Working together, the organization’s purpose is to help prevent, alleviate, and work towards ending homelessness.

RTFH is the data center and technical resource for information on homelessness throughout San Diego County. It administers the region's Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), used by service providers who manage hundreds of distinct programs. Data gathered enables RTFH to provide analysis of demographics, trends, and more. Services include training, help desk, and critical data reports to service providers, cities, the County of San Diego, elected officials, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and U.S. Congress.

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