Scott Bourque/KJZZ

Tents line the sidewalks near the intersection of 12th Avenue and Madison Street in Phoenix in 2020.

The Maricopa Association of Governments is preparing for its annual survey of the region’s homeless population, and organizers are seeking help from the public.

The goal of the point-in-time homelessness count is to contact as many people experiencing homelessness as possible across Maricopa County. Brian Gruters with MAG said hundreds of volunteers are needed to join outreach workers to fan out across shelters, parks and alleyways on Jan. 23 to conduct the count.

“The more folks we have out doing this work and the more folks we have trained to do it, the more reliable the data can be," Gruters said. 

Data from previous point-in-time counts shows homelessness in the Phoenix area has increased about 50% in the past five years. Gruters said those numbers are critical for lawmakers and organizations trying to address homelessness.

"We have to make data-informed decisions around how we address homelessness," Gruters said. "We need to know the data in order to understand how much shelter we should build and how much housing we need.”

Those interested in volunteering can contact their local coordinator through AZMAG.gov. 

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