Hundreds of volunteers across San Bernardino County conducted the county's annual point‑in‑time count to survey people experiencing homelessness and gather data the county says will guide resource allocation and federal assistance applications.

The point‑in‑time count, organized with the county's community development and Office of Homeless Services, is intended to provide a single‑night snapshot of who is living outdoors or in unsheltered locations across the county. County speakers said the count helps officials “see who's on the streets” so they can direct services and funding where they are needed most.

County staff and volunteers said more than 600 people worked on the count and that teams at Community Development and the Office of Homeless Services will spend the next several months reviewing and cleaning the data. Organizers said the count asks about demographics and life circumstances and supplies donated during outreach included hygiene kits, socks, beanies, gloves, a power bank and a flashlight.

Speakers emphasized that homelessness is a cross‑sector problem tied to addiction, mental health, foster care transitions, elder housing insecurity and domestic violence, and that responses must reflect those differences. County staff said the point‑in‑time count belongs to the local Continuum of Care and that strong data improves strategic planning and competitive grant applications. The county said the results will be announced later this year.

County presenters said the effort prioritized outreach to veterans, seniors and children. Beyond data collection, volunteers reported offering supplies and referrals during outreach to shopping centers and other public locations.