Media Advisory

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Tuesday, January 27, 2015

NOTE TO EDITORS: Media interested in accompanying county staff for the field count may join staff at 8 a.m. Wednesday, January 28. The meeting location will be in Concord. Please call in advance: 925-383-8845.

WHAT

Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) will conduct its annual Homeless Count this week. CCHS' Homeless Program, its community partners and many volunteers will participate in the count and survey of the county's homeless population.

WHEN:

The count will be held over three days, from January 28 to 30.

WHERE:

Contra Costa residents who are experiencing homelessness will be surveyed at many locations across the county.

WHY:

Data gathered from this count help government, service providers and community advocates develop effective responses to the challenges facing people who are homeless in Contra Costa County. The information is a required part of our county's requests for federal and state funding for homeless services.

The Contra Costa Homeless Count also kicks off Zero 2016, a national effort that county and its partners joined in November to end veteran and chronic homelessness within two years. Groups including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Multi-Faith ACTION Coalition and numerous community based organizations are working together on this project, which involves using real-time data and performance management tracking developed to accelerate housing efforts.

During the last full count of Contra Costa County's homeless population, in January 2013, 3,798 people were identified as homeless in Contra Costa County.

For more information about the count, including results from past years, visit cchealth.org/homeless.

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