Spencer, IA (KICD)– Upper Des Moines Opportunity will be conducting an annual count this week to determine the number of homeless individuals around the area.

UDMO Housing Director Tanya Thelen says the Point in Time Count is typically done during the overnight hours near the end of January to find the number of “truly homeless” people.

Once collected, the data is sent to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The numbers collected in 2022 had 1,619 individuals counted as truly homeless with six of those in Clay County.