The not-for-profit North East Community Action Corporation (NECAC) is participating in a state and national count of the homeless.The Point-in-Time Count is overseen in Missouri by the Governor’s Committee to End Homelessness, the Balance of State Continuum of Care, the Missouri Housing Development Commission and other partners.On Jan. 27, NECAC’s 12 county service coordinators will contact food pantries, shelters and agencies that work with the homeless.During last year’s count, 58 homeless people or families were documented in NECAC’s nine rural counties of Lewis, Macon, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Ralls, Randolph and Shelby. In the metropolitan counties of Lincoln, St. Charles and Warren, there were 803 homeless people and families.Janice Robinson, NECAC Deputy Director for Community Services, said that unlike in the cities, homelessness is not as visible in rural areas. Many people who have nowhere else to go temporarily stay with friends, family or co-workers. Last year’s count revealed more than 300 people in NECAC’s service area who had “doubled up.” They move around from place to place in a pattern that’s become known as “couch surfing.”A compilation of the data on homelessness in Missouri, complete with the numbers recorded on Jan. 27, will be available this summer. The information will be presented to state lawmakers later this year in hopes that more funding is allocated for prevention programs.NECAC