Salvation Army launches year-long homeless survey effort in Jacksonville

The Jacksonville Salvation Army is training volunteer crews to interview unhoused residents across Morgan County. Captain Justian Corliss said the effort is meant to produce more than a head count. The survey teams will work two or three times a month for a full year, giving local leaders a running picture of need instead of a one-night snapshot.

Corliss said the project will show how people arrived at their current situation and what kind of help could matter next. Local agencies already know homelessness exists, but the year-long interviews are meant to show where shelter capacity, outreach funding and follow-up services may fall short. The Salvation Army needs volunteers for the effort and is asking people interested in joining the survey crews to contact Corliss at the Jacksonville corps.

The local contact point is the Salvation Army Jacksonville Corps Community Center at 1124 Wall Street in Jacksonville, with the phone number 217-245-7124. For people needing immediate help during evenings or weekends, United Way First Call for Help is available by dialing 211 or visiting 211.org.

The Unhoused Steering Committee formed March 20, 2026, to identify ways to strengthen Jacksonville’s response to homelessness and better support people experiencing housing instability. Morgan County’s homelessness group planned street outreach teams in July to speak directly with unhoused residents.

Illinois’ FY2025 homeless report put the state’s Point-in-Time count at 25,832 in January 2024 and 14,571 in January 2025. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines Point-in-Time counts as sheltered and unsheltered homeless people counted on a single night during the last 10 days of January. HUD’s 2025 AHAR report, published in May 2026, provides national, state and Continuum of Care estimates, and Morgan County is part of the West Central Illinois Continuum of Care.