Heading Home Jeffco Conducting Homeless Count

JEFFERSON COUNTY, CO — Heading Home Jeffco will be conducting a comprehensive homeless count to guide policy making, funding and service decisions. The group is collaborating with a range of agencies, including Jefferson County Human Services, to conduct the outreach survey.

The agencies, volunteers and law enforcement will not only be reaching out to the homeless population in shelters and at food banks, but to those living in cars, outdoors or “couch surfing,” Jeffco officials said.

The month-long count began in agencies Aug. 1, and a street survey will be conducted by service providers, volunteers and law enforcement from Aug. 19 to 23.

The survey will help Jeffco better understand the extent of homelessness and design targeted programs and policies, officials said.

"The data will be used to locate funding streams to better meet the needs of the children, working families, singles, seniors and those with disabilities across the county," Heading Home said in a statement on its website. "By measuring the full scope, we have a chance of designing services and policies to prevent homelessness and ensure it is short-lived and rare when it does occur."

The count is a pilot project that the organization hopes to conduct again in 2020.