The San Mateo County Human Services Agency is recruiting volunteers for its yearly one day homeless count, a day when, in past years, hundreds have undertaken the task of tallying those sheltered and unsheltered people living on the streets.

The event is a requirement and part of the point-in-time count and housing inventory count by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The one day homeless count takes place on Thursday, Jan. 25 and the county officials will administer a survey between Jan. 25 and Feb. 1. To volunteer for the count, register by signing up at tinyurl.com/smchomelesscount. You will need to provide your contact information. The county will also provide a Zoom training to prepare you for the count.

In 2022, more than 300 volunteers gathered early in the morning on Feb. 24 at ten local deployment sites throughout San Mateo County. The count found a total of 1,808 people experiencing homelessness throughout the county. Compared with 2019, 1,512 people countywide experienced homelessness, a 21% increase since 2017.

Since 2011, East Palo Alto and Redwood City have had the highest population of unsheltered individuals, often swapping the top spot each year.

In October 2023, Redwood City released a report noting that it had been aggressively tackling its homelessness through several initiatives and that by doing so, homeless encampments had declined by more than 25%.