By Joseph Ciolino

Citizens gather before dawn to survey the homeless Downtown

Volunteers from across San Diego County gathered Downtown at Golden Hall hours before sunrise on Jan. 29, to take part in the 2016 WeAllCount homeless census in an attempt to receive more federal funding to aid the homeless.

The event saw more than 17,000 volunteers participate in the count and was organized by both the Regional Task Force on the Homeless  (RTFH) and the Downtown San Diego Partnership (DSDP).

“What we do today really does matter,” said Kris Michell, CEO of DSDP. “San Diego is fourth in the nation for having homeless folks on the streets, yet our federal funding is 23rd.”

The census was fully funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) this year in order to seek out and better understand the homeless veterans in the county.

RTFH is a nonprofit organization that visualizes putting an end to homelessness in San Diego County, and it supports 45 different agencies and 250 programs in doing so. According to the RTFH website, their mission is “to provide data and trusted analysis that empowers the entire community to identify, implement and support efforts to prevent and alleviate homelessness.”

The entirety of the 2016 WeAllCount extends an entire week and takes place in three different phases: a sheltered count, which includes homeless individuals residing in shelters and transitional housing; an unsheltered count, the actual identification of the homeless on the streets, in vehicles, and in hand-built structures; and an in-depth personal survey.

The focus of the WeAllCount Downtown census involved a personal survey solely based on people living unsheltered on the streets, in doorways, or in vehicles. Couch surfers, hotel inhabitants and the like were not to be counted as homeless for this particular process.

Among those present for the early morning census on Jan. 29 was Councilmember Todd Gloria, who spoke to volunteers before they set out into the dark to conduct surveys. Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins was also present and participated in conducting surveys.

Over the past few years, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has not been responsive to the City Council’s call to look at the federal funding formula currently being provided for the city’s attempts on aiding the homeless. Gloria commended Rep. Scott Peters for his efforts in Washington, D.C., to have the formula — that has been deemed by Gloria and his colleagues to be unfair — re-examined this year.

“Our census is so big, yet our dollars are so small,” Gloria said to those gathered to take part in the survey. “Your presence here this morning is going to make sure that we make the strongest case possible for changing that formula to match more to the needs, so we can help more of the San Diegans living on the streets and in our canyons outdoors.”

Gloria expressed sincere gratitude to the many volunteers that had gathered at such an early hour and received survey bags that contained hygiene packs, a map, $10 Subway gift cards, a flashlight and clipboard with the survey questionnaire attached to it.

Homeless individuals were offered a Subway card to participate in the surveys, and received the card no matter how far they got into the survey. If they made it halfway through the survey they still received the card.

“It’s not about a haircut guys,” Gloria said. “It’s about getting folks in the door, getting their information, getting them registered and then connecting with them to get them into housing. That’s how we end homelessness.”

Cities across the nation are declaring an end to homelessness, according to Gloria, and cities such as Phoenix, Salt Lake City and the state of Virginia have already made considerable efforts to reduce the homeless population in their respective areas.

An accelerated training brief was provided to all volunteers before they began canvassing the neighborhoods that went over the questions on the survey, which were developed by HUD and the VA. Preliminary survey questions included whether the person they were interviewing had been on the street the night before, or the morning of, and whether they had already been surveyed.

After the training was completed, volunteers were asked to form two-person teams, to include one person who was experienced and had done the homeless count before. Each person was equipped with two surveys each, and when they completed both surveys, they would return them to Golden Hall.

Additional questions included asking the actual date the individual had originally become homeless and how many times they have been homeless. Those surveyed could have spent a few nights in a hotel or in jail, and seven days “sheltered” is considered a “break in homelessness,” which is important to help identify the chronically homeless.

Other questions involved alcohol and drug use, whether or not they are veterans, and if they have any physical disabilities.

Once complete, RTFH will take the data gathered Downtown, add it to other census data from around the county, analyze it and create demographic information to be provided to local and federal authorities.

For more information about WeAllCount, to get involved, or learn more about the organization managing the census, visit rtfhsd.org.

—Joseph Ciolino is an editorial intern for SDCNN and a senior in the journalism program at San Diego State.