Hundreds of volunteers got up early Wed nesday to meet the homeless population where they live, for a Point-In-Time count that started at 5:30 a.m.
The count is an effort to get an accurate idea of how many homeless people in Santa Barbara County are unsheltered and living outside, or sheltered in cars, couch surfing, or at designated shelters.
Point-In-Time counts generate information that is used at federal, state and local levels to determine how divvy up funding for assistance programs and housing, as well as informing the public about the state of the homeless population.
In the last Point-In-Time count, the largest numbers of homeless people were located in Santa Barbara, followed by Santa Maria, Lompoc, and Goleta.
