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100 Volunteers Needed to Count Austin's Homeless

Kevin Hawk has been homeless in Austin for years.
Erik Reyna
Kevin Hawk has been homeless in Austin for years.

Before organizers can take a census of Austin's homeless community, they count volunteers.

This year they're coming up short.

One-hundred more people are needed Sunday from 1 pm to 7 pm to gather demographic information on who is homeless in Austin and Travis County.  Homeless advocates say the annual count is essential to show the city, county and nonprofit groups where to allocate their resources to best serve the area's most vulnerable community.  The numbers are also used to calculate the amount of federal funding Austin receives for certain aid programs.

This isn't the first time organizers have had fewer volunteers than they wanted.  KUT walked with the homeless count last year, when volunteers were in short supply. 

To volunteer you can click here or call (512) 782-8733.

Mose Buchele focuses on energy and environmental reporting at KUT. Got a tip? Email him at mbuchele@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @mosebuchele.