New data has revealed a large uptick in the amount of homeless people living in Orange County.
Preliminary data from the most recent federally mandated Point in Time count found 6,860 homeless people in O.C, the Orange County Register reports.
That number is a 43 percent increase from the 2017 tally of 4,792 homeless people. However, officials say this year's survey was more thorough and sophisticated compared to other years.
This year's survey was conducted by a large team including service providers, law enforcement, and more than 1,000 volunteers who used 'electronic mapping to mark where homeless people were sleeping or hanging out.'
the survey consisted of 28 questions and was filled out by more than 2,200 homeless people. Only 285 people answered the 2017 survey.
Hundreds of beds have opened in shelters in Santa Ana, Anaheim, Tustin, and Costa Mesa after the Santa Ana River Trail encampment was cleared, offering services to help get people off the streets.
Full results of the survey will be released in June.
Read more here.
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