Some cities don't like it, but the federal government will go ahead with a nationally co-ordinated count of homeless people across the country.

The national count is the first time the federal government has tried to co-ordinate what has largely been a municipally-driven project in some big cities like Toronto and Vancouver.

Many cities have never done a head count, and those that do use different methods.

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Cities complain they wouldn't have enough time to get all the resources in place to count every homeless person in a city, town or region during one 24-hour period.

Some cities, like Toronto or Vancouver, spend more than a year planning a head count, much longer than the seven months the federal government was giving municipalities back in May when it was planned.

The government has since extended the time frame, giving the 30 communities taking part in the federal initiative between now and the end of April to collect data on the size and makeup of the homeless population.