Last Tuesday, January 24th, at 5am, over 100 volunteers gathered at the Salvation Army building on 6th Avenue heading into a 30-degree morning.

Their mission is to count all the people who slept outdoors on Mesa the night before, which was the coldest night ever.

Organizers also counted those who stayed in shelters to obtain data on the city’s total non-residential population.

Cities across the country saw similar scenes in the last week of January. This is because the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development mandates point-in-time counts of unprotected people for local governments to receive federal funding to fight homelessness.

PIT numbers may be one of the few hard data sets available to the community to understand the complex issues of homelessness. The issue provokes heated debate and speculation among the public, and is sometimes used as a barometer to judge the health of the community. .

But it’s also an opportunity for elected officials and residents to get a glimpse of what it’s really like to be homeless in Mesa.

Those who work with homeless people say many are open to help and just raise their hands to overcome barriers to housing, such as administrative hurdles, substance abuse and rising rents. increase.

Last year, Mesa’s survey counted 451 people, a 33% increase from 2020, when the last PIT survey was conducted due to the pandemic.

In Arizona, only Phoenix reported an increase in homelessness in 2022, with 3,096.

To conduct this year’s count, Mesa organizers divided the city into 25 sectors and assigned a team of volunteers to each area.

For six hours, the team walked through each block, trying to contact as many unsheltered people as possible.

If an unprotected person was willing to participate, volunteers conducted a survey by phone app. Contains over 20 questions.

According to Aaron Raine, homeless resource coordinator for the Mesa Police Department, Mesa does actual counts of entire city limits, while other cities, such as Phoenix, count sample sizes and use algorithms to estimate counts. increase.

As the volunteers took their last sip of coffee and donuts before heading out into the dark, Mayor John Giles told the volunteers that Mesa “desperately wants” to cope with an increase in homelessness amid a nationwide surge. said.

“When we travel to other parts of the country, it is common to see tent camps in public parks, even on road medians. And that’s where our city is headed,” he warned.

“Having the right data to make the right decisions and the right policies is essential to addressing the homeless problem,” he said.

Raines said most homeless people are willing to engage with volunteers and participate in research. The team also has basic hygiene kits that can be distributed to those in need.

Giles was joined by Deputy Mayor Francisco Heredia, City Council Members Mark Freeman, Julie Spilsbury and Jen Duff.

Duff, who represents the downtown Mesa district, said he has participated in the PIT Count every year since joining the council.

In recent years, Mesa’s homeless population has risen like any other city, but Duff believes Mesa’s homelessness problem “would be much worse than it is today” without the action taken by the city. I’m here.

These measures include programs such as Off-the-Street, which provide temporary shelter and help navigate assistance offered by various government agencies and nonprofits.

The city is also diversifying funds for rental assistance to keep people from becoming homeless in the first place.

Duff says that taking to the streets and participating in the count “expands my horizons on what causes homelessness.”

Mental illness and substance abuse are widely recognized as barriers to obtaining shelter, but Duff said talking to homeless people shows that each story is different.

Many people experience “life difficulties” and struggle to maintain their rent, especially as housing costs have risen rapidly in recent years.

“Once they go into the eviction process, sometimes it’s just a system problem. There are things that work to prevent them from recovering from the eviction,” she said.

“I’ve worked and talked to homeless people,” Duff said.

Ron Wilson, a PIT volunteer who helps unprotected people through La Mesa Ministries, said helping someone overcome the bureaucratic red tape in government can make a big difference.

Government agencies and “people who can answer and hold” to help unprotected people obtain copies of their Social Security cards and other records will be a key factor in getting someone off the streets. You may.

Important records like this are often needed to receive assistance.

Annual PIT counting is not an easy task.

To get an accurate count of people sleeping outdoors and avoid double counting, volunteers start walking the streets before dawn and contact people before they start moving.

People who have slept outdoors may be just as limp and less enthusiastic about socializing as those who have just woken up.

During online training before the PIT count, Rain advised volunteers to announce their approach in advance so as not to startle campers and pets.

On Broadway, near the Paz de Cristo Outreach Center, which offers food, clothing and other services, Laing approached a man curled up in his sleeping bag behind a bus stop and explained that the city of Mesa was investigating. .

He agreed to answer questions, and a chihuahua curled up in a bag regularly barked at the intruders while the volunteers conducted the investigation.

With their backs to a nearby chain link fence, two more people slept in an improvised tent-like structure with thick comforters.

To get anything close to an accurate number, volunteers will have to venture into some of the city’s underground areas.

Laing walked east down Broadway from the bus stop to the small gap in the fence between the clearing and the tracks.

After going through the hole, he walked along the wall near the railroad tracks. The ground was strewn with cotton swabs and other debris.

According to Raine, drug users use cotton to filter large particles from the liquid created by “heating” the drug when preparing syringes for injectable drugs.

Raine checks a nearby wall for a blanket tent, but no one is there this morning. Either they were sleeping somewhere else, or they had already started moving.

On the sidewalk outside Pas de Cristo, Giles reflected on what he had learned while counting.

In his view, one basic division of the homeless population is between those who resist help and those who are open to it.

“When you approach people, they’re lying in the park. We say, ‘Hey, we’re getting some services here,’ and they say, ‘No, thank you.’ Literally, they I say, ‘I’m an addict and I’m not ready,'” he said.

“The system is broken, but not so broken for those who don’t resist service. There is a way out of homelessness,” he said.

“Change is hard for everyone,” Raine said, even for those who have adapted to life without a permanent home.

Raine said he was motivated by “seeing people take their lives back.”

He has seen people get off and off the streets.

A city spokeswoman said this year’s tally was completed without any issues being reported. The city expects data on Mesa’s homeless population to be released in April by the Maricopa Government Association.