City taking tally of its homeless population
Countywide census required to qualify for HUD grant
By Avi Rutschman avi@theacorn.com

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers DIFFICULT SITUATION- A visitor walks through a Simi Valley parking lot. The city is working with the park district and volunteers to determine how many homeless people live in Simi.

The Ventura County Homeless and Housing Coalition has launched a countywide census to determine the number of homeless individuals living in the area. The data will be used to obtain additional grant funding and to help implement the county's new 10year plan to curb homelessness.

According to officials, the county receives about $1 million a year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for homeless assistance programs.

"These funds are passed on to various county and nonprofit organizations dedicated to fighting homelessness. In past years, the city of Simi Valley was receiving between $300,000 to $400,000 a year through the grant program," said Debbie Solomon, the director of the Simi Valley's Department of Community Services.

The organization reports that about 6,000 county residents experience homelessness in any given year and 1,000 residents are homeless on any given day.

The count is being conducted by volunteers who've been searching for homeless individuals on the streets and in the parks and by area agencies that provide services to the homeless.

"It was quite interesting to be in the hills," said Virginia Nelson, the head of the Simi Valley Samaritan Center, a nonprofit service provider for homeless individuals. "I've worked with the homeless for some time, but I've never seen the camps. Some are very creative, but it makes you feel sad that people choose to live this way when they have services available to them."

The results of the census are not expected for at least another month.