Group seeks volunteers to count homeless

The local Committee on Homelessness is looking for volunteers to help with a second 2007 count of Clark County's homeless population.

The summer homeless census, scheduled for 2 a.m. on July 31, should help determine whether the county's homeless population differs from season to season, organizers said.

A January tally determined that about 11,369 people are homeless in the county on any given day.

The Southern Nevada Regional Planning Commission's Committee on Homelessness uses the numbers when applying for federal and other aid to help fight homelessness. The Department of Housing and Urban Development uses the numbers to help determine the amount of aid it provides.

The count is part of a $325,000 contract with Applied Survey Research, a California-based nonprofit social research firm that has completed similar counts in Los Angeles and Atlanta.

Count organizers are looking for volunteers who have transportation and a cell phone.

To volunteer, call 455-5832 or e-mail caw@co.clark.nv.us.