Volunteers conducting census of the homeless in Lake County
Seeking to enumerate a problem most people don't speak about, volunteers will comb Lake County tonight to locate and count homeless men, women and families.
The annual census of the county's homeless population will begin about 10 p.m. and run through about 2 a.m. Friday.
The count is a necessary step for the county to receive more than $1 million in federal funds. But it's also an opportunity for officials and homeless-assistance groups to learn about the local homeless population.
They'll ask the homeless people they find to answer an 11-question survey designed to gather information about their living conditions, such as why they became homeless, how long they've been without permanent shelter and if they served in the military.
The census and survey can help homeless-assistance organizations modify their programs.
"If we go out and find many homeless women, but the only shelters we're providing are for homeless men, clearly we're not doing something right," said Joel Williams, chairman of the Lake County Continuum of Care advisory group.
Homelessness has been on the rise in Lake County in recent years. About 496 people were counted last year, up from 414 in 2006, county records indicate. The total was 387 in 2005.
About 33 volunteers, broken into nine teams, will traverse the county tonight. Some will focus on areas in which homeless people are known to congregate, such as parts of Waukegan and North Chicago, Williams said. Others will search larger suburban or rural areas.
"We try to cover the entire county," Williams said. "We've been able to cover a lot of ground."
The teams will search parks, forest preserves, commercial areas and other public spots. They won't go into residential areas -- such as apartment building lobbies -- unless they get a specific tip and have permission, Williams said.
When the volunteers come across homeless people, they'll drive them to a shelter in Grayslake or Indian Creek so they can be somewhere warm for the night.
"It would be nice if we found nobody. That would mean everyone has found some sort of shelter," Williams said. "Unfortunately, that has not been the case."
Homeless people found outdoors and those already in shelters will be counted, Williams said. People in both groups will be asked to complete the survey, too.
The census and survey results should be available next week.
Homelessness in Lake County
Volunteers will count Lake County's homeless population tonight for an annual survey. Here are the results of previous censuses.
Year Homeless people
2007 496
2006 414
2005 387*
2004 558
2003 624
*The U.S. government changed the definition of homelessness in 2005
Source: Lake County