MARQUETTE — Every January, more than 400 Continuums of Care covering over 3,000 cities and counties across the nation will organize tens of thousands of volunteers in a national effort to measure the scale of homelessness in the United States.

This count measures the number of homeless people in shelters and on the streets at a single point-in-time. The point-in-time count for Alger and Marquette counties will be conducted from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30. If you are homeless, you’re encouraged to attend a local community lunch in your area that day to be included in local efforts. Achieving an accurate count is essential for securing funding and support, and for agencies in developing a thoughtful response.

Locally, the effort is being coordinated by the Alger/Marquette Continuum of Care and will involve more than 40 local agencies and law enforcement departments.

Defining the extent of rural homelessness presents a significant challenge in that there are no formal homeless shelters except the city of Marquette’s Room at the Inn. “Couch surfing” is the most common form of homelessness in this area. In those cases, the homeless person or family may not necessarily be connected with an agency. Those are the cases where help is needed.

A point-in-time count training session will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23 at the Warming Center for all who wish to volunteer. Other training sessions may be scheduled.

Anyone interested in volunteering to assist on Jan. 30, including friends for family of someone who may be homeless, should contact Michelle LaJoie of the count committee at 906-228-6522 ext. 208 or by email at mLaJoie@communityactionam.org.

Anyone who is homeless who cannot make the lunch can leave a message for Mary Jane Lynch, Warming Center manager, at 906-225-1521.