Annual point-in-time count sees nearly 400 volunteers

BAKERSFIELD, CA. — The annual point-in-time homeless count has gone electronic this year.

In the past, volunteers used hard copies to survey the homeless community in Kern County. For the first time, the county has helped the Homeless Collaborative created an application that volunteers can use on their phone or tablet to conduct the survey.

"Of the 1,338 individuals we counted in 2019, thirty percent were female. So we're really seeing a trend over the years of more females and family members. That was of the reasons of following the trends, 'who is out there? Years ago, it used to be mainly men," said Jan Lemucchi, point-in-time chair.

Between 2018 and 2019, there was a 50% increase in the point-in-time homeless count throughout Kern County.

Typically, it takes months to manually count the surveys. However, this year, organizers think the number will be out sooner due to the app.

Last year, 931 male and 399 female homeless individuals were accounted for.