It will take nearly 1,300 volunteers to scour the county by foot and car in the predawn hours on Jan. 23 to get a head count of homeless people in San Diego County.
The annual count, known as WeALLCount, is conducted in cities nationwide for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to determine where to direct federal funds to help the homeless.
County officials also use the information to identify strategies and services to address and alleviate homelessness.
The count is not an exact number but rather a snapshot, said Dolores Diaz, executive director of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless, which organizes the count.
Diaz said 200 volunteers are still needed to conduct counts in the North County, including in Oceanside, Poway and Encinitas.
"A person simply needs to be 18 years or older," she said. "We issue them a map, a census track map, and counters identify persons that are sleeping in vehicles or places not meant for human habitation."
Diaz said volunteers will be trained. People can register online on the website for the Regional Task Force on The Homeless.
Last year's count found 8,520 people living on the streets, in cars or in shelters — a 4 percent decrease from 2013.
More than 60 percent of the homeless population was found in the city of San Diego.
