Help Needed For Dallas Homeless Census

DALLAS, TX — Everybody counts. That's the message Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance is using to spread the word about its annual homeless census as it seeks some 1,500 volunteers to help perform the 2018 count.

The census is conducted each year by volunteers, and many are still needed to conduct this year's count. Volunteers are asked to donate five hours of their time starting Jan. 25 at 8:00 p.m. and lasting until 1:00 a.m. the following morning.

Volunteers work in teams of three to five and are asked to bring a reliable vehicle to be used during the project. Volunteers follow pre-determined routes created with geographic information mapping, and will canvas beneath bridges, in parks, in cars and in safe wooded areas and abandoned buildings as well as other areas where people are seeking shelter form the cold.

Helpful links:

• General information on the Homeless Census
• How to register a team for the census
• Informational flyer

Volunteers must be 18-years-old to participate. The Alliance says this is an excellent community service project for churches, neighborhood associations and patrol groups.

The collected data helps The Alliance measure successes in ending homelessness in Dallas. The findings of the survey will be announced in the State of the Homeless address in March 2018.

Image: (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)