Al Pesqueira led a team of volunteers to count homeless people in South Tucson. "The homeless see that they do count, that they matter to these volunteers and to the different agencies in Pima County," he said. LISTEN:
Hundreds of volunteers were on the streets of Tucson Wednesday to count the city’s homeless population. Among them was Al Pesqueira.
Pesquiera’s team was out before dawn, canvassing a section of South Tucson between 22nd and 32nd Streets, from Kino Parkway to I-10.
One of the spots they hit was Guadalupe, a soup kitchen run by Casa Maria, where dozens of homeless people gathered for coffee and breakfast.
Pesqueira approached a woman sitting on a baby stroller like a chair. Her name, she told him, was Teresa.
"Teresa, can I ask you some questions? It's a survey that we're asking individuals that are homeless."
She agreed.
The survey covered basic information - sex and age. Then Pesqueira got to the logistics.
"Where did you sleep last night?"
"In the wash," said Teresa.
"And how long have you been homeless?"
"Approximately 27 to 28 years," she said. More than half her life.
The questions got increasingly personal as the survey went on.
"Do you have any alcohol problems?"
"I drink beer, not too much. I’ve cut down quite a bit."
"So would you say that’s a problem?" Pesqueira asked.
"No," she responded.
The results from the count today will be checked for duplication and then sent to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, which uses the data to decide how much federal money Pima County will get to run programs for the homeless.
In recent years, the county has received about $9 million annually from the federal government for homeless programs.
After he asked Teresa the final question on the survey, Pesqueira handed her a $5 gift card to McDonald's.
"It’s just an incentive to let the homeless know that we appreciate them sharing their information with us," he said.
Teresa put the card in her pocket and pushed the baby stroller that contained all her possessions across the street to the soup kitchen. It was time for some coffee.
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