The Homeless Resource Council of the Sierras, a collaborative group of agencies and nonprofit organizations from Placer and Nevada counties, has announced that Nevada and Placer County's annual point-in-time count of homeless individuals and families will take place January 24, 2019.
This year, a number of Nevada County organizations will host events where volunteers will conduct brief surveys with homeless residents of Nevada County. The events will provide a hot meal; County services such as CalFRESH, CalWORKS and Public Health; and will offer donated clothing, supplies, and gift cards at the following times and locations:
- Interfaith Food Ministry, 440 Henderson Ave. Grass Valley, CA: 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m
- North San Juan Community Center, 29190 State Hwy 49, North San Juan, CA: 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m
- Food and Resource Support Center, 10111 E. Street, Truckee CA: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m
While the main events offer services and others perks for participation, community partners from across the county will also open their doors during the day to conduct surveys and offer gift cards. In Western County, these locations include Hospitality House, SPIRIT Peer Empowerment Center, the Family Resource Centers, and Madelyn Helling and Grass Valley Library – Royce Branch locations.
Homeless counts are required to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Though HUD only requires a full count of both unsheltered and sheltered individuals every other year, Nevada County now conducts a full count each year.
Point-in-time counts are not a comprehensive measure of an area's homeless population, but rather snapshots from a single day that can be used to approximate broad trends. Typically, they are viewed as undercounts for a community's yearly overall homeless population because many people may move in and out of homelessness throughout the year.