The count from last year’s Street and Shelter Point-in-Time count came in at around 4,300 unhoused individuals across Fresno and Madera combined.
But this year, the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care is hoping to learn more about the people who make up that population.
More than 300 high-visibility vests will take to the streets of Fresno over the next two days, working to shine a light on homelessness in Fresno.
“This is a really good turnout, and it tells us that people care,” said chair Laura Moreno.
Tuesday marked the first night of the count.
Local leaders were amongst the many taking part in the yearly mission.
It’s an attempt to assess homelessness in Fresno and Madera.
The data is then used to build a plan designed to address the needs of the area’s population.
“We need the flexibility to say, here in the Fresno Madera region, this is what is going to help our families, and that is vital to what we do,” Moreno said.
Coming off a year that saw several shelters close their doors due to a lack of funding, Moreno says the Continuum of Care is taking a more comprehensive approach to their count.
Unhoused individuals will be asked to complete a small survey.
“Not only will we have a count of people that are experiencing homelessness, we’re also going to get that information from them about how they got here, what happened that caused this situation in their life,” Moreno said.
Once volunteers were checked in, it was time to hit the road.
Our team tagged along with a group assigned to Downtown Fresno.
Volunteers are trained to address people safely and respectfully.
“These are people, these are people in our community, they’re our friends, they’re our neighbors, and they deserve dignity,” said volunteer Zack Darrah.
Our lead volunteer, Leticia Martinez, has been with the Poverello House for 19 years.
She tells us she’s driven by being the helping hand, offered far too rarely.
‘What’s the first thing that comes to your mind as you walk away,” we asked.
“The first thing that comes to mind when we engage with individuals, is respecting their space and the look on their face,” Martinez replied.
Once the count is finished, the Continuum of Care will compile those numbers and present them to the Department of Housing and Development, in hopes of building programs better suited to the Central Valley.