The Culver City Homelessness Committee is seeking volunteers for its 2015 Homelessness Count taking place the evening of January 28th.

Here's the scoop from Christopher Patrick King, who serves as Vice Chair of the committee:

Ideally, we would love to have volunteers to come as a “team” of 4 people (work group, volunteer clubs, religious groups, family/friends, etc). We’ll be disbursing volunteers on the night of the Count in groups of 4, so if you come as a team then you can go out with your own friends and colleagues. Individuals are welcome too! We would simply plug them in with other groups that do not have the full 4 members.
The schedule is as follows:

• 8:00pm—Arrive at the Culver City Senior Center (4095 Overland Ave, Culver City, CA)
• Enjoy refreshments and food items from local Culver City Vendors!
• 8:30pm—Volunteers are trained
• 9:00pm – 10:00pm—Volunteers are disbursed to their precinct for the Count
• 12am – 2am—Volunteers return

What is the Homelessness Count and why does it matter?

It is an “enumeration” or counting of the number of homeless that we have in Culver City. All cities on the West Side of Los Angeles County will conduct the count the same night to avoid duplication of individuals counted. The numbers of homeless are statistically analyzed to predict the true number of homeless in an area (since we can’t find every homeless person, each that we find “counts” for more than 1 for analysis purposes). Then, the results are released to Los Angeles County, to the State of California and to the federal government to help with resource allocation to our local community for housing and homelessness assistance programs.

Why is the count critical?
The count is critical because it leads to resources for those in need by determining the need of each locality.
The night of the count, volunteers either walk or drive through their assigned precinct. They count and tally the homeless individuals they observe. People who are nervous to participate should know that no contact need be made with homeless individuals. This is a counting, not an interview. Volunteers are trained in safety and procedures before the count, and Culver City will increase police patrols to further ensure safety of volunteers.
Finally, even though the above time-frames estimate people returning between 12am and 2am, volunteers tend to return MUCH EARLIER than that. We have a very small homeless population in Culver City in a relatively confined area, so the count usually goes very quickly.

How do I sign up to help?
To sign up, please email culvercityhomelesscount@aol.com and/or Tevis.barnes@culvercity.org. Additionally, volunteers may sign up to volunteer in Culver City through www.theycountwillyou.org, ;