Sunnyvale volunteers begin 'point-in-time' homeless count
SUNNYVALE, Calif. - Hundreds of volunteers across Santa Clara County joined forces early Wednesday morning to count the number of unhoused individuals living in their communities.
About 50 volunteers, along with city officials, county workers, and nonprofit staff gathered at Sunnyvale Community Services – a nonprofit emergency aid and housing organization – at 5:30 a.m. They packed food, snacks, water bottles, hats, and gift cards before heading into the community to conduct the count.
The volunteers went tent to tent in places such as the Sunnyvale Library, aiming to get an accurate count of the unhoused population.
What they're saying:
John Ma, who has been unhoused for six months, was among those volunteers met. He lost his apartment after being laid off as a bartender last summer.
"It’s been hard to climb out of the hole," Ma said. "Especially when you have to come up with first and last-month's rent. You need damn near $5,000 just to move."
The federal government mandates counties conduct a "point-in-time" homeless count at least every two years.
"The need is increasing," said Santa Clara County Supervisor Otto Lee. "We need to better understand the problem to help and get people out of this situation."
Big picture view:
Santa Clara County has the largest unhoused population of any Bay Area county, with about 10,300 people experiencing homelessness last year, according to federal data.
"It’s tragic because it’s going up, not down," said Marie Bernard, executive director of Sunnyvale Community Services. "The cost of housing is rising faster than incomes. It takes 3.2 minimum-wage jobs to afford an average apartment here in Sunnyvale and Santa Clara County."
This year, volunteers are also surveying unhoused individuals to gather more detailed data. The surveys, which are optional for participants, are recorded on an app for city and county use.
"I think it’s important to shed light on what’s going on," Ma said. "Homelessness is very different nowadays."
The point-in-time count is not limited to Sunnyvale; it is taking place across Santa Clara County, with about 700 volunteers participating in the effort.