Hundreds of people showed out Thursday morning to help with this year's annual homeless census count conducted by multiple agencies.

According to the county, 371 volunteers from the valley came together to lend their time to help with the census.

Additionally, 51 have experienced homelessness first-hand, serving as living embodiments of strength and resilience in our community.

"By identifying our unhoused neighbors and greatly improving access to services, the Southern Nevada Homelessness Continuum of Care can create a more effective response to alleviating homelessness in the region," said Clark County Social Service Manager Michele Fuller-Hallauer.

"All parties involved are committed to using data collected from this effort to help shape new policies."

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Officials say the data collected from the census will help service providers, policymakers, and local, state, and federal governments better understand the needs of people experiencing homelessness and develop strategies to address them.

Last year, the count found 5,645 people living in shelters or on the streets and estimated that nearly 14,000 people experienced homelessness in Southern Nevada at some point during the year.

Numbers for this year's census are set to be released at a later date.