Community addresses homelessness in the County

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY), The Imperial County Continuum of Care (ICCC), is working to identify the biggest issues facing the homeless population in the valley.

ICCC held a forum Tuesday to get input from the community about what is needed to help solve homelessness in their neighborhoods.

The ICCC just conducted a point-in-time count for homeless across the count. They said the count will help identify the needs of local homeless people. It will also determine how much funding the county will receive from the state.

This year's point-in time-count numbers have not been released, but last year ICCC identified 1, 413 homeless people in the county.

ICCC says that is a high number, considering the population in the county. The number is also higher than the shelter beds available for the homeless in Imperial Valley. ICCC says there are only about 750 beds total, including shelters and transitional housing.

Tuesday's forum allowed ICCC to gather information on preventing homelessness and transitioning the homeless into permanent housing.