Every two years, hundreds of Oakland residents leave their homes before the crack of dawn and fan out across the city to look for neighbors who sleep on the streets, in parks, and on doorsteps.
It’s the biennial Point-in-Time Count, a survey of unhoused residents in Alameda County and Oakland. The process is mandated by the federal government for cities and counties that seek financial support to address the homelessness crisis.
The counts also produce the most accurate data available for policymakers, researchers, and community organizations trying to understand the scale and contours of the crisis and support people in need…