Volunteers Needed to Assist With City Homeless Count

Volunteers are needed to participate in an official count of the homeless population in Menifee as a part of a county-wide program to document the number of such individuals in local communities.

The program is sponsored by the City of Menifee and the count will be taken on Jan. 28 from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Volunteers will meet at City Hall and will be sent out in groups of three or four to targeted areas. The "point in time" count of homeless people enables cities to report accurate information to the county and receive government aid based on their population.

According to Lesa Sobek, chair of the Menifee Interfaith Council, volunteers will use a questionnaire to obtain information about the individuals' living situation, but no one will be forced to provide answers. Volunteers will also distribute care packages to the homeless with information about how they can qualify for assistance.

Volunteers must be 18 or older. Training will be provided in advance of the count date.

To volunteer for this project, contact Margarita Cornejo in the Menifee Community Services Department at 951-672-6777 or by email at mcornejo@cityofmenifee.us. For more information, visit the City of Menifee website.