San Diego County’s annual Point-in-Time Count serves as a snapshot of people experiencing homelessness and helps provide a sense of the overall scope of the problem in our communities. But it also serves a more lasting, impactful purpose.
On Jan. 25, hundreds of volunteers awoke long before their alarm clock normally goes off, and spent several hours approaching people on our streets, in tents and cars, and huddling under blankets to interview them about their lives as unsheltered people. It’s sometimes uncomfortable, and often heartbreaking.
It’s also an invaluable education, which we at Serving Seniors believe is key to helping dispel misunderstandings and stereotypes about the root causes of homelessness and the people affected.
Serving Seniors board members Dr. Divya Koura and Deb Barrett were part of our team surveying people in downtown San Diego this year.
Barrett, a local technology executive, participated in her first Point-in-Time Count this year. “It’s one thing to have strong opinions based on statistics you read. But when you actually get out there, and see someone sleeping on the sidewalk with no blanket, you know this is not a choice,” said Barrett.