The count for the number of those who are unhoused is on in Contra Costa County.
“This is a really important count because this count really drives a lot of the significant funding that comes in to serve this population,” said Anna Roth, the CEO for Contra Costa Health.
On Wednesday, 200 volunteers went out to count the number of homeless and unhoused living in the county. Called the ‘point-in-time’ count, this one-day headcount is the figure that counties across the U.S. will use to secure local, state and federal funding, such as from the Department of Housing and Urban Development — or HUD.
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“You name it, HUD has one grant or another that supports us. And we have about $20 million that we get in HUD funding. And again, that is all based on this number,” said Christy Saxton, director of Health, Housing and Homeless Services.
Those millions of dollars are not just to help those living on the streets. It is also used to operate a wide range of services, such as homeless shelters.