Russ Zimmer

@RussZimmer

Here's a question that will make you count your blessings: How many New Jerseyans had to face the weekend's historic blizzard without a home?

We'll have a better idea of the answer after a network of advocates and volunteers conduct the annual count of the state's homeless population today.

Nearly 1,000 homeless individuals were confirmed to be "un-sheltered" in January 2015, the last time there was a point-in-time count of homeless people living in shelters, on the streets, under bridges and in abandoned buildings across the state.

YOUR TURN: What should we be doing to prevent or end homelessness? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

NJ Counts 2016, or Project Homeless Connect, as it's sometimes called, will be used not just to identify and assist the homeless people the searchers encounter, but to guide policy decisions at the local, state and federal level.

Each person located outside of a shelter will be offered food, clothing, a health screening and an array of services designed to lift them up and out of their predicament.

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Beyond that immediate assistance, policymakers and researchers will use this data to help determine where they are having the most success, what specific strategies are working and how best to implement them regionally or nationally, said Kate Kelly, an associate at Monarch Housing Associates, which runs the statewide count.

"Getting a more accurate count can help make the case for increased funding and prioritizing funding for the best practice that best serves the homeless population in the community," she said..

Last year, there were 10,211 homeless men, women and children across the state of New Jersey, according to Monarch's numbers.

That was a 14 percent decline in the homeless population from 2014, although the 974 people living outside was a slight increase.

About 1 in 4 were under the age of 18.

52.4 percent of homeless adults reported a disability. The most prevalent was mental illness.

The most common reasons for being homeless were being kicked out a shared residence (21.4 percent), loss of job or benefits (16.8 percent) and eviction (12.7 percent).

Fewer than 700 veterans were counted among New Jersey's homeless during last year's count. Mercer County announced near the end of 2015 that they were the first county in the state to find shelter for every homeless veteran within their borders.

More than 565,000 Americans were homeless at this time last year, according to the 2015 Annual Homeless Assessment Report.

Here's what Monarch Housing reported for each New Jersey county in January 2015:

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Russ Zimmer: 732-557-5748, razimmer@app.com

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