City and county officials have launched their first official “Point-In-Time Count (PITC) 2011” drive to determine an accurate number of “actual” homeless residents around San Diego — a campaign that is now reaching into the streets of Ocean Beach. To help educate the community about homelessness and to plan for additional services to meet the needs of the disadvantaged, the Ocean Beach Clergy Group — formed late last year to include a majority of local churches — helped trigger the survey after asking for a headcount from the city and county of OB’s homeless residents and transients. Because no formal survey had ever been done, those numbers have never been officially determined and recorded for Ocean Beach until recently, even though the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires communities to collect information about homelessness in their area to obtain funding for homeless services and agencies. Tim Sandiford, a member of the OB Clergy Group and a representative to the Regional Task Force on the Homeless, joined a group of five volunteers from various organizations between Jan. 28 and Feb. 8 to complete survey forms containing 10 pages of detailed personal information from each homeless participant. Some of the forms took 20 minutes each to complete. Questions ranged from personal information, source of income and status to past incarcerations, healthcare and services used or needed. The surveys concluded with an optional narrative by the individual person being surveyed. Each participating homeless person received a $10 gift card for Subway sandwiches or Jack in the Box after completing the form. Surveys have been conducted on Saturday mornings at the First Baptist Church of Ocean Beach at Santa Monica Avenue and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. The same location is converted into a busy Saturday breakfast “soup kitchen” solely organized and distributed by Second Chances Bread of Life, various OB churches and an army of volunteers. Estimates are that between 60 and 80 surveys have been completed for Ocean Beach, although surveyors had expected closer to 100 initially. The official survey results are expected to be released later. In conjunction with the homeless headcount, accompanying dogs were also identified for the first time. In addition to dog food donated by Supermaxx on Newport Avenue, all of the canines received a weight-appropriate dose of a topical flea- and tick-prevention medication supplied by the owners of Dog Beach Dog Wash on Voltaire Street. Dog food and the preventative flea treatments will continue to be made available on Saturdays to all dogs. The canine-based services appeared to be positively received by members of the homeless community. For more information about the surveys and local homelessness outreach, contact the Regional Task Force on the Homeless at (858) 292-7627. Young students bring breath of fresh air to survey An unexpected twist to the Feb. 5 homeless breakfast/headcount occurred when 11 third- and fourth-graders from Torrey Hills Elementary School in the Del Mar School District brought a breath of fresh air to Ocean Beach. Calling themselves “The Imagination Club,” the students were accompanied by their reading teacher Caroline Nuttall and five parents. The girls performed well-rehearsed songs for the survey participants and volunteers, and the young students later offered their help where needed. “The Imagination Club” meets once a week and gives up its lunchtime to do community service and to collect experience in social leadership and public speaking. The girls said this was their first close contact with the people of the homeless community and most of them were taken by surprise at the large numbers of disadvantaged residents in Ocean Beach. Despite initial shyness, the girls’ smiles abounded amid valuable impressions and a promise to return to Ocean Beach in the very near future. — Bianca Koch
