Federal, state and local governments need to know the number of homeless people living in local communities to provide the necessary services.
The count "is a really important thing for us," Lanny Lancaster, Executive Director of the Three Oaks Center in Lexington Park, told volunteers during a briefing before the count. "This count gives us a snapshot of the problem in our county."
Volunteers and officials fanned out to every election district in St. Mary's County to make the count.
