An annual effort to count the number of people experiencing homelessness in the region will resume in person this year, after being postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Point in Time Homelessness Street Count will be conducted on Tuesday, Jan. 25, at 6 a.m.in communities across the Valley. Hundreds of volunteers will scan alleys, parks, riverbeds, building doorways and other areas in an effort to get an accurate count of the number of people experiencing homelessness. The count provides a one-night snapshot of the number of men, women and children living in unsheltered situations or on the streets. Those who are in shelters also will be counted the same night to achieve a total homelessness picture.

Coordinated by the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), the count utilizes volunteer teams that include city, county and state representatives, community and faith-based organizations, businesses and private residents.

“The information from this count allows us to better tailor resources to help people access services and find housing,” said Mesa Mayor John Giles, chair of the MAG Regional Council. “At the same time, we can identify trends and get an understanding of the overall resources needed in our communities. This will be helpful as we implement the ‘Pathways Home’ Regional Homelessness Action Plan approved last month by the MAG Regional Council.”

Riann Balch chairs the Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care Board, the regional group tasked with addressing homelessness in the region. Balch also serves as Community Development and Resources manager for the city of Chandler.

“Along with the count, we also aim to make contact with each individual to learn more about their individual homelessness experience,” she said. “If they don’t wish to be interviewed, the volunteer will record what information they can. The count is extremely valuable for determining how many people need resources and what types of resources are most needed.”

MAG is working with the Maricopa County Department of Health Services to ensure all necessary COVID protocols are followed to ensure individual and volunteers are protected during the count. Volunteers are needed, and anyone interested in volunteering should contact Fountain Hills’ town coordinator, Ken Valverde, at kvalverde@fh.az.gov.

This year, the teams will continue to use the same mobile app used successfully in 2020. In 2020, the count found 7,419 people experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County on a single night. These numbers represented a one-year homelessness increase of 12 percent in overall homelessness in the region and an 18 percent increase in unsheltered homelessness.