"If you were homeless, would you want to stand up and be counted?"

I didn't want to be counted, I definitely didn't want to be tracked (by HMIS or any other "tracking" software), and I didn't really want anyone to even know....

By the way, if Tucson's count shows 1100, it's probably closer to 5,000, given what I know about the way counts are typically taken....


Tucson-area homeless population expected to increase

Tucson-area homeless population expected to increase

Jul. 21, 2008 12:00 AM
Associated Press

TUCSON - The homeless population in the Tucson area is expected to increase as the nation's economic situation continues to worsen.

Homeless advocates estimate there are 1,100 homeless people on the streets of Tucson.

They camp in dry riverbeds or live in nearby desert areas because there aren't enough beds available at shelters.

Peggy Hutchison, chief executive of Primavera Foundation Inc., said it's difficult to know just how many people are homeless here.

"If you were homeless, would you want to stand up and be counted?" Hutchison asked.

Primavera's Web site says it provides opportunities to help people transition from poverty to greater well-being and security.

Hutchison said her agency and others are predicting that homelessness is going to get worse.

"Imagine people at the bottom end of the income scale struggling to pay for groceries with the rising cost of food and gas," she said.

To deal with increases in the homeless population while trying to provide a safe place for the homeless, the Salvation Army has announced it will be raising money this year to build a larger shelter.

Primavera has 1,000 volunteers, as well as paid staff, to help provide programs and services to homeless people.